The right partner
by ninja pirate princess
Summary: Levy agrees to help Lucy with her novel, little does she know it involves being partnered up with someone! But when Gajeel overhears Levy and her partner, he misunderstands everything! Now Gajeel is trying to think of ways to keep Levy by his side, while Lucy thinks of the perfect character for her novel. (Gajeel x Levy) (CHAPTER 6 FINALLY UP!) (small edits)
1. Chapter 1

In Fiore there is a guild. A guild everyone is familiar with. A guild that runs on family, friendship, and unbreakable bonds. This guild is called, "Fairy Tail,". Of course everyone already knows that. However, nobody really knows what's going on inside. Let's take a look.

It was certainly a wild place, wizards laughing and shouting in every direction. Among all these distractions, there was a certain group that stood out.

"You should've seen it, Lucy!" Natsu smiled brightly. "They practically had their tails between their legs, running for their lives! Right, Happy?" He gave a mighty laugh as he recalled a fight. He wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulder, getting caught up in the moment.

Happy jumped in the air, "Aye sir!"

"Hold on a minute," said a cool voice, "If I recall correctly, you were pinned down by no other than me!" Gray stood up, puffing out his bare chest.

"Then your head must not be in the right after the beating _I _gave you!" Natsu yelled back, "There's no way I'd allow myself to be beaten by a stripper like you!"

Gray's eyes turned an icy blue, "Who're you callin' a stripper, you damn match." His hands were put together, a chilly feeling coming from them.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called, "Juvia will always be cheering for you!" Gray rolled his eyes, but kept his attention on Natsu.

"Gray," Cana called out from the bar, "Clothes." She went back to drinking from her barrel.

Gray's eyes grew wide as he realized his bare body.

Mirajane sighed happily from behind the bar, "Nothing ever changes, huh?"

"Mira!" Lucy whined, "Help me!" She was caught between the death glares from Natsu and Gray.

There was a loud crunching sound and a gulp. "Can you two weaklings cut the crap?" Gajeel asked more like demanded, "Hearing you two bicker is worst than eating rusty iron."

The two wizards were silent. Then Natsu started snickering, "Oh, I see how it is."

Just having the fact that Natsu knew something that Gajeel didn't aggravated him, "What's with that stupid smirk on your face?"

Natsu smiled slyly, "You're jealous because you're not as strong as me."

Gajeel's eyes darted at Natsu, "You wanna go, Fireball?" His hand was now an iron sword, ready for action.

"Oh, yeah, now it's a party!" Natsu gleemed.

A fist was hit on the back of his head, "This is between you and me, Salamander!" Gary recalled.

Natsu's hands were now engulfed with flames, "Alright, bring it on you two!"

Gray and Gajeel ran at Natsu, who jumped up at the last moment. Natsu's cheeks puffed up, "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" Flame was blown through his mouth.

"Ice maker, Shield!" Gray produced a wall of ice.

Gajeel cut the flames with his iron sword, "You're mine Salamander!" He jumped up as well, now on the same level as Natsu, he swung his sword.

Mirajane laughed, "If you three don't stop, I'll make you." She smiled brightly, with a creepy purple aurora around her.

The three stopped what they were doing, and stared, wide-eyed. Natsu and Gajeel fell to the ground, paralyzed by Mira's threat.

"Tch," Gajeel scoffed, "I'm not gonna waste my time with a wimp like you. "

"Ha," Natsu mocked, "I was about to say the same."

Lucy had moved to another seat by the bar, not wanting to get between the fight. She had papers in front of her, with writing on them. It would only be a few sentences per paper. As if she had started writing, but decided not to continue. Lucy stared intensely at the blank sheet of paper, her pen shaking. She scratched her head, but was only left with an unsatisfied face.

"What wrong, Lucy?" Mirajane asked, as she set down the glass she was cleaning.

Lucy sighed, "I'm trying to write a story, but I'm not so sure how to put in on paper."

Mira's eyes lit up, "What kind of story?"

"It's a romance, but I'm not sure how to describe some things."

"Like what?" Mira seemed confused, was writing a book really _that _hard?

"Like facial expressions, feelings, and actions. I can see it perfectly in my head, but can't seem to put in on paper…" Lucy dropped her pen on the table, admitting defeat.

"Hmm, maybe you just need someone to help you picture it."

"What do you mean?" This caught Lucy's attention.

"Well, have someone act it out for you. Then maybe when you see it for yourself, you'll know how to put in words."

* * *

The guild's doors opened to reveal three wizards. Levy stood in the middle of Jet and Droy, "Team Shadow Gear has returned!" The three shouted together.

There were some cheers from the guild, "It's about time you three got back!" Wakaba called out.

The three members made their way through the crowd to where Natsu and the others were. "Hello, Gajeel!" Levy greeted him with a smile.

"Hey." Was his only reply, his gaze met hers for a moment, but he quickly turned away.

Lily, who was busy drinking kiwi juice when the fight broke out, smiled at Levy, "How'd the job go?"

"It went great." She replied, "We finished it without a problem. Did anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Lily frowned, "Not unless you count the fight that broke out. Then again, that happens all the time. Well, we went out on a job almost right after you left." He referred to Gajeel, who was still facing away from them.

Levy thought for a moment, "Didn't you two just recently go on a job? Why go on another one with such a short time span in between?"

Lily chuckled, "Well, Gajeel decided there was no use staying in town with nothing to look forward to-" Two hands quickly grabbed Lily.

Gajeel held Lily with two hands, not letting go. "I think you've said enough, cat." He squeezed Lily's little body for a bit before letting go.

Levy just stood there, a confused look on her face.

* * *

Gajeel stood up to leave, followed by Lily. The both exited the guild and walked down the empty streets of Magnolia. The exceed swung his arms back and forth, "You didn't have to be so rough."

"Tch," Gajeel replied, "You shouldn't have been running your mouth."

"It was true wasn't it?" Lily reminded him, "The whole reason we went on a job is because you insisted. I bet you probably figured that by the time you got back _she'd _be back. The job would probably keep your mind off of-"

Gajeel looked down at him with angry red eyes, "Remind me of _what _exactly."

Lily, not intimidated the slightest, "Not of 'what', _who_." He corrected.

* * *

Levy watched Gajeel and Lily leave, not sure what had just happened, and a little sad that they left so soon after her return. She turned toward Lucy, seeing her worried face. "What's wrong Lu-chan?" She asked.

"Oh, Levy-chan, I didn't even see you. Sorry, I've been having trouble writing." She gestured to the blank sheet of paper.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Levy wasn't sure what to say, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lucy pondered the thought, "Umm, I don't think so-" She stopped short by remembering Mira's words about having someone act out what she pictured. "Actually, I think there's something you can do, if you're willing to."

Levy's eyes brightened up, "Sure, just tell me what you need!"

"Well, I just need you to act out a scene…." Lucy took a pause before continuing, wondering if Levy would co-operate.

"Act? For what?" Levy asked.

"Just to get a descriptive idea to write out, please?"

Levy's eyebrows scrunched up, "I don't know Lu-chan, I'm not good at acting."

"That's just it Levy," Lucy explained, "You won't have to act, just be yourself! You see, the girl in my story is kind of like you. All you have to do, is say the lines the way you would say them normally."

"I'm still not sure about this, maybe you should find someone else."

"No, Levy-chan, please, this role is practically made for you! You'd be helping me out a lot. I even promise to let you read the story when I'm done, ok?"

Levy was still uncertain, and you could see it on her face, but she really wanted to help Lucy out. If this was the only way, then Levy was going to have to endure it for her friend.

"Alright, I'll do it." Levy gave in, but was still unsure.

"Lucy gave Levy a hug, "Thank you!" She kept repeating. "Meet me here at eleven, if that's ok with you. That's the time people start leaving the guild. We'll be able to work privately."

"Ok, well I guess I'll see you then!" Levy gave a shy smile.

* * *

That night, was certainly a quiet night. There was no moon in the sky to light the empty streets of Magnolia, nothing except the word, "LIGHT," that gave off a white light. Levy walked through the town, keeping the light close to her. She wasn't sure why she had agreed to walk back to the guild after dark, she knew she should've just stayed at the guild until it was time to meet Lucy, but she knew she needed to take a shower and wear a change of clothes. Especially after the long job she was out on with Jet and Droy.

She slowly opened the guild's large doors and stepped inside quietly, "H-hello," She spoke out softly, "Lu-chan?"

A smile light clicked on in the back by the stage. Levy made the word, "LIGHT," disappear and walked slowly towards the smaller light. When she arrived, she saw Lucy holding a stack of papers and writing anxiously. Lucy looked up, "Levy, you made it!" She handed the Script mage a sheet of papers, "Here are your parts. I already gave your partner their parts."

"Part...ner?" Levy whispered.

"Yo, Levy!" Said a confident voice.

Levy looked up to see Loke, walking into the light. "It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"L-Loke?" Levy said, _very _surprised, "What's he doing out of the spirit realm?"

Lucy laughed nervously, "Well, he insisted on doing the part. Since it doesn't take any magic energy out of me for him to come out, I figured he it was ok. Although, I don't know if he is good for this role…"

Loke looked hurt, "Lucy," he spoke softly, "Do you have doubt it me? Is it because you do not wish to see me with another woman?" He hid his face in the crook of his elbow, "Although it pains me to have another woman in my arms in your presence-"

"I don't think it really pains you at all…" Lucy commented, but Loke continued.

"I will do this for you!" He gabbed Levy by her hands, "I hope you don't mind too much Levy," Levy looked away, her face red with embarrassment and confusion, "Don't worry," he leaned into her ear, "I don't bite."

This made Levy's face glow red, what was she supposed to do in a situation like this?

"That's enough, Loke." Lucy spoke harshly. "We need to get started before it gets really late."

"Ah yes," Loke maintained his posture, "Ready when you are."

* * *

The guild's door opened with a small squeak noise. Two figures, of _obviously _different heights, walked into the guild.

"I can't believe you'd just leave your sword here." Gajeel spoke softly to Lily, who entered the guild as well.

"I wouldn't have left it here if you didn't leave so suddenly." Lily reminded Gajeel of earlier events.

They both walked to the bar area where Lily's sword was still laying there.

"Alright, now let's go," Gajeel said, wanting to get home and get some rest.

"Wait," Lily said suddenly, "There's someone else here."

Gajeel stood motionless for a moment, "Yeah, there is." He held his nose in the air and sniffed, "Wait, I know this scent."

Gajeel made his way towards the stage, but stopped when he heard a voice.

"Come on," it was a male's voice, "Please."

"I already told you no." Said a familiar female voice. "I'm far too busy."

Lily gave Gajeel a concerned look. Gajeel stared at the curtain, not knowing what he was hearing. He sniffed the air again, "Celestial Spirit." He whispered annoyingly.

"Lighten up a bit," Loke said calmly, "Let me show you the town sometime. Have you ever wondered how beautiful it looks at night?"

"No, I haven't." Levy answered him. "I have to go now, don't tell me you dragged me all the way out here was to ask me out."

"Not ask you out, more like, invite you."

Gajeel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He slowly made his way to the curtain and opened it, just a peak. He saw Levy leaning up against a wall, and Loke, having his arm resting on the wall as he stood in front of her.

"I already said 'no'." Levy repeated shyly. She darted her eyes, Loke moved his face in closer, making her panic on where to look.

"One night is all I ask," Loke pleaded, he held up his index finger, "One night."

Levy sighed annoyingly, "If it'll get you off my back, then fine."

"Friday." Loke made the date.

Gajeel couldn't stand another word of this. He turned away from the curtain and started to walk away. Glancing over at Lily, who had a hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying something, followed Gajeel out the guild.

"Nice work you two." Lucy acknowledged.

"Ah, Lucy," Loke said, "Hearing your praise makes my heart soar! I humbly await for the time when you call upon me again." He disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"I don't know Lu-chan." Levy said, "It didn't feel right."

Lucy started to leave the guild with Levy following her, "I know what you mean, Levy-chan. We'll just have to try again."

"_Again?!" _Levy burst out.

"Please Levy-chan!" Lucy folded her hands together, pleading. "You're really helping me out with this. Now I know that a character like Loke; bold, charming and confident, isn't right for my story. You were great though! Please…" Lucy made little puppy dog eyes.

"Ok, ok, I'll do it again. When?"

"Hmm, I'll have to think over new characters and new dialogue, I'll let you know when I'm ready, ok?"

"Alright then." Levy smiled nervously. "See you tomorrow." They soon parted their ways and headed to their own homes.

* * *

Gajeel and Lily walked the route to their home, not saying a word since they left the guild. Lily could practically feel Gajeel fuming with anger. "Maybe," Lily finally broke the silence, "She didn't sound like she was into him. Maybe it wasn't what we thought it was? There was no way Gajeel was going to accept that, and Lily knew it.

"Whatever it is, I won't stand for it."

"Why?" Lily gave Gajeel a sly look.

Gajeel stopped in his tracks, "I don't need to explain to the likes of you."

"So then what're you gonna do?"

Gajeel just smirked and continued walking.

Lily had an annoyed expression on his face, "So you're not going to tell me?"

Gajeel looked down at Lily, still smirking, "Nope, gihi." He snickered.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day didn't seem out of the ordinary, unless you count the few dark clouds that rolled over the sun every once and a while. The guild was, still, as loud as ever, but nobody really cared; it's what made their home special. It was the same picture as the day before, Natsu and Gray getting ready for a fight.

"You wanna run that by me again, flame-for-brain?" Gray asked, his dark eyes piercing right through Natsu.

"You heard me," Natsu growled. He lifted his leg and stomped his foot on top of the table, showing up, "Your ice cubes would melt just being near my flames!"

Gray ripped his shirt off unconsciously, "You're really askin' for it!" His right fist was placed on his left hand's palm. You could already tell the frost was taking form. "Ice make spear!"

Juvia hopped in excitement from behind a pillar, "Gray-sama," she swooned, putting her hands on her heart, "You must know I was in the room, so you purposely took your shirt off for me to see!" Just the thought made her melt into a puddle of water.

Natsu leaned back as the spear was taking form and lifted his right foot. His foot caused Gray's hand to lean off to the side, making the spear change its course. The spear was now, not headed for the Fire Dragon Slayer, but was making its way to the bar area. The target of the spear had their back turned, as the spear made contact.

That person turned to face the duo, who, were now, staring wide-eyed at the victim. Gajeel, without saying a word, pulled the spear out of his back. A rip in his shirt showed that his skin on his back was turned into iron scales. The dragon slayer turned his head to look at the two rivals, "Quit your shit, if you know what's good for ya." He turned back around, resting his head on his palm.

Gray and Natsu sat down quickly, their heads and eyes hitting the ground. It seemed like today, Gajeel was _not _in the mood to mess around.

The guild doors soon opened to reveal the small, Solid Script mage. "Good morning, everyone!" She yelled to the loud crowd, who were already loud to begin with.

"Mornin' Levy!" Some mages hollered back.

Levy made her way over the bar area, and greeted everyone, although, she saved one person for last, "Good morning, Gajeel!" She said happily, a bright smile on her face.

Gajeel was think of ignoring her, but how could he; especially with a face like that? He glanced away and raised his hand slightly for a greeting. He then turned back around and pretended he never saw her.

Levy looked a little confused with the way Natsu and Gray were acting. "What's with you two," she asked, "Normally, you two'd be trying to tear each other's limbs off!"

Lucy, who was sitting in front of Natsu and Gray, giggled at the sight, "I think it had something to do with the fact that Gajeel is in a bad mood."

The bluenette's eyebrow raised a bit, "He seems fine to me."

Lucy rolled her eyes, even though Levy was smart, she couldn't read the mood, or anybody's feelings at all, "Well of course he'd act normal around _you_."

Levy's cheeks grew a soft red, "I-I don't know what you mean by that!" Ok, maybe Levy wasn't _that _dense about feelings.

Just as Lucy was about to make another comment, Pantherlily walked casually towards them. Before he looked up at Levy, he closed his eyes, "Can I ask you a question?"

This was certainly odd, Lily rarely asked Levy for anything, "Sure," she replied, "What's up."

Lily crossed his arms, "You have to answer honestly, _Levy McGarden_." Well, if asking Levy a question wasn't weird enough, he used her full name, too!

At this point, the small mage grew a little nervous, "What is it?"

The exceed sighed deeply, "Do you have _any _plans on Friday?"

"Plans on Friday," Levy asked herself, "Wait, isn't that today?" Lily nodded, "Um, no. At least, not that I know of, why?" A frown grew upon her face, what gave him the idea she did?

"No reason," Next, Lily turned around and walked away as casually as he walked before. This time he made his way to Gajeel, "Maybe she rejected him after we left?"

"Tch," was Gajeel's only response. "How do you know of that for sure?"

Lily shook his head, only Gajeel would be this stubborn, "Because, it's not like Levy to lie. Plus, she didn't know what I was talking about," he took a seat next to Gajeel, "So, what's your plan?"

Gajeel winced, "What plan…?"

"I know you have a plan, or at least something that will go wrong in almost no time." Lily laughed loud enough for Gajeel to hear. "You better hurry," a sly smile appeared on his face, "Before Loke beats you to her."

Lily soon realized he went too far, because he felt Gajeel's hands around him as he was lifted up. With a firm grasp, Gajeel threw him across the room. Although Lily was caught off guard, his fast reflexes allowed him to spread his wings to keep him from continuing his course. The exceed smirk, knowing how mad Gajeel was.

"Gajeel," Levy asked, her eyes full of worry, "Are you alright?" She took a seat next to him. "You seem a little more irritated than normal."

The iron dragon slayer felt frantic for a moment, he didn't even realize she saw that! "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

The girl smiled, glad he at least reassured her, "Okay, if you say so!" She pulled out a book and began reading quietly.

Gajeel studied her face, she looked very calm when she read. Her eyes moved from left to right quickly. He was amazed on how she could read so fast _and _be able to understand every detail. Levy's fingers delicately turned the page, her expression not changing. Gajeel didn't know how long he was staring at her, he seemed to be lost in her hazel eyes. Then her expression quickly changed. Her eyebrows scrunched up and she read faster, her eyes looking furious. This intrigued the iron dragon slayer, his expression changed as well, from calm, to curious. Levy sighed deeply before closing the book, she looked much calmer than she did a while ago.

Lucy saw Levy's frustration and was a little worried, "Is everything alright, Levy-chan?"

Levy turned to face Lucy, her face full of confusion, "Yeah, it's this book, it just doesn't make any sense!"

"What's it about?"

Levy set the book down and clasped her hands excitingly, "Well, this girl is always getting advice from someone through mail, somehow this person always know what's up and how to deal with it. It's pretty good, but I can't figure it out who it is..." You could practically see the amount of worry on her face; she took knowing the book _very _seriously.

Lucy chuckled, "Levy-chan, I'm sure all will be revealed, just as it always is in the end."

Levy goaned a little, she was a little impatient when it came to endings, especially to books. That was one if the many motivations that kept her picking up a book one after another. Her attention then turned to Gajeel, "So how come you're not trying to pick a fight with Natsu?"

Gajeel didn't want to admit what was going on in his head, so he quickly made something up, "Can't a guy just get some peace and quiet every once and a while?"

Levy giggled, which caught Gajeel's attention. "I hate to tell you, but if you're looking for peace and quiet, you came to the wrong place." She was right, today, Fairy Tail was a little louder than normal.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Warren was fighting with Max (about something that probably wasn't worth getting into a fight over), then Natsu saying he wanted in. Of course, this caught the attention of Gray who couldn't back down from the opportunity.

Gajeel tried to ignore the noise as he looked back at Levy, "So, Shrimp-"

"Levy." She interrupted, "Would it kill you to say my name every once and a while?"

He smirked, he liked it when she was a but sassy, "Gihi, maybe, but I don't want to risk it." Levy just narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. "Anyways, are you doing something later?"

Levy's eyes went from annoyed to surprised, "No, actually, that's what Lily asked too. Why is that, is there something going on later?"

"Umm, well," he was caught. Gajeel knew how stubborn the small fairy could be. There was no way she was gonna let him slide without an answer. That's when something hit him, literally. A lone wooden stool made contact with the back of his head. It made him jolt a bit, but it didn't hurt him.

"Hahahahaaa!" A loud laughter echoed through Gajeel's ears, he knew that laugh well.

"Salamander!" He growled, "Thats it, you're gonna get it now!" He stood up and cracked his knuckles, "I hope your ready for a world of pain!"

The rest was history... Rather, repeated history. Long story short; the fight got out of hand quickly. First it was Gajeel tossing Natsu on the other tables, then it was Gray, creating an icy floor that caused the dragon slayers to slip and slide (causing slight motion sickness), and the next thing you know, Erza's practically going on a rampage going on about some "cake". This went on for the rest of the afternoon, all the way into the evening.

* * *

"The _father_!" Levy exclaimed as she closed her book. "Her _real _Father's been helping her out and leading her to realize her mother's lies!" She sighed with victory,

Lucy smiled, she liked seeing others happy; it gave her a warm feeling. "It's nice to hear that you enjoyed the ending." Lucy crept slowly next to her friend, "So, Levy-chan," Levy turned her direction to Lucy, who was now right next to her. "I just want to let you know, I have someone else for the story!"

Levy smiled nervously, "I'm happy to hear... Who is it this time?"

Lucy chuckled, "Well I'll give you a hint: it's someone _very _different from Loke!"

"Come on, Lu-chan, I don't think I could handle anymore surprises."

"Alright, it's-" Lucy was cut off when Happy flew over to them.

"Lucy! Help me take Natsu home!" His voice was as high pitched as usual, and had a worrisome tone.

The two ladies looked over to the head of knocked over tables and chairs. Natsu lay there on his back allowing his arms to be stretched on each side. with many bumps on his head and scrapes on his arms and legs. His eyes were open, but sort or dead-like, the only assertion of his well being we're the deep breaths that made his chest rise and fall heavily.

Lucy sighed, "It's his own fault for making everyone go crazy, maybe it's for the best he stay there." She took another look and realized how innocent and helpless he seemed when he couldn't get into any trouble. The celestial Mage smiled softly, "Well, I suppose he learned his lesson, alright Happy, let's go." She stood up and made her way to Natsu.

Levy reached out, "Wait, Lu-chan!"

Lucy looked back, "Oh yeah, sorry Levy-chan. Come by the guild around ten again and you'll just have to see for yourself!" She winked, knowing how badly Levy wanted to know.

Levy looked at the small clock on the wall of the guild, it was only 8:47. she decided she could probably go home and clear her mind before having to help Lucy with her plan. Standing up, she straightened out her light yellow dress, and headed out the guild.

Little did she know, she was being followed by someone. The certain someone snuck up behind the short teen and slid her headband just over her eyes.

"H-Hey!" Levy cried out, startled. "W-Who's there?" She tried to reach behind her, but who ever it was, could keep the headband on her eyes and be able to stand far enough so she couldn't reach.

"Gihi," she heard the person say, "What's the matter, Shorty? Are you scared?"

Levy stopped struggling and crossed her arms, "Oh it's just you, Gajeel. For a moment I thought it was someone _intimidating_." Actually, she was a little nervous, but she didn't want him to know that.

"Let's go." He commanded her, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders and pushed her slightly to get her to walk. Gajeel moved to her side, "And don't even think about taking the band off of your eyes."

"Why?" She asked calmly, taking small steps.

"Because then it won't be a surprise." The fact that he had her eyes covered meant that he didn't have to worry about her seeing how red his face was. Gajeel didn't think he would actually be able to go through with this, but Lily gave him many reason to do so. Many of them having to do with Levy being with another guy, and that made his blood boil. Lily had bet that Gajeel would wuss out, so the exceed waited for them at the destination. If there was anything that made Gajeel mad, it was back away from a challenge.

Levy's face was just as red as Gajeel's, red with both embarrassment and anxiousness. She felt embarrassed because of the way she had let herself be snuck up from behind, and of the fact that she was alone with Gajeel. Normally, this was no problem, they had gotten along quite nicely. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had gotten so close in the time that they've known each other. Levy thought that if the anxiousness wasn't bad enough, the silence made it even worse. "S-So where are we going?"

"I already told you, it's a surprise."

"Well yeah, but can't you give me a hint?"

"Hints aren't really my thing," he could practically picture her cheeks puffing up when she got made. Not that he payed attention to small details about her or anything. "Ok then, we're going to go see the oldest thing ever."

Levy began to think carefully, "You couldn't have thought of a better hint?"

"Ok then, you think of a better one."

"But I don't even know where we're going!"

"Gihi, then stop your complaining and be grateful I gave you a hint in the first place." To him, this was perfect, having some alone time and having a few good laughs.

Levy's foot made contact with a small rock and she lost her balance. "Eeep!" She squeezed as she panicked and tried desperately for something to grab on. Her hands held onto something that held her as well. She wasn't sure at first, but it felt as though she was leaning into someone.

"You okay?" Gajeel said, soon noticing that her head was on his chest.

"Yeah..." She picked herself up, but didn't let go of his arm, "Are we almost there?"

"U-Um, yeah." He realized that she was holding into his arm tightly.

* * *

A few more minutes and soon they were in a grassy field. The green grass was soft beneath their feet, and made small shuffling sounds with each step. The cool breeze made them stop, "Time's up." Gajeel said, backing away from her. "You're guess?"

"Hmm," she pondered a little more. "He only thing I can think of that's old is the stars, but that can't be-"

Her headband was lifted by Lily, who was flying in front of her face. He smirked and flew over to Gajeel, happy to see Gajeel didn't wimp out.

Levy gasped and put her hands over her mouth, her attention to the sky. It was filled with millions of shining stars, some larger than others, and each one brighter than the next. Every so often, they would twinkle to show their existence, and would shine down on the ones below them. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed, her hands fell to her side and her mouth was now in the form of a smile.

Lily leaned towards Gajeel and whispered, "I told you she'd like it." Yes, the star seeing was Lily's idea, well most of it. Gajeel has no clue to what women really like, especially when it came to women he _liked, _which hadn't crossed Gajeel's mind till now. All Gajeel knew was that Levy was short, liked books, and was cute (which is something he would never admit, but Lily knew). The two discussed it, and Gajeel realized that Levy liked things that were ancient (such as ancient writing). There was nothing more ancient or beautiful than the stars, (according to Lily).

The two sat down on the soft, cool grass. "Are you gonna sit down, Levy?" Lily asked.

Levy, keeping her eyes on the stars, layed down softly. She gave a hearty smile, and sighed deeply. "This is amazing!" She repeated.

"Yeah," Lily agreed, "These lights are better than any you see in the _city_." He referred to what Loke had said he wanted to show her the night he and Gajeel were eves dropping. Lily turned to look at Gajeel, but the dragon slayer wasn't looking at the sky, he was looking at the grass, or rather, what was _on _the grass.

Gajeel's attention was caught by, not the beauty of the stars, but the beauty of a girl; a small, smiling girl with blue hair. His red eyes stared at Levy's hazel eyes, they seemed to be sparkling even brighter than the stars. There was a soft shade of pink on her cheeks from smiling so much, making him realize how soft her skin seemed. Her, once neat, blue hair was now sprawled around the ground, surrounding her shoulders.

Levy could feel a pair of eyes watching her, and she couldn't resist the urge to look back. Her eyes followed the direction of the one staring at her. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Gajeel panicked for a moment, darting his eyes quickly, "N-no."

_Was he staring at me? _Levy asked herself, the light shade if pink on her cheeks grew darker with the thought. _There's now way!... Right? _Although, deep down, she liked the thought of it.

That night was spent whispering to each other, then wondering why they were whispering in the first place. It was only them there, but perhaps whispering made the experience even more magical. Every Levy would catch a glimpse of Gajeel and Gajeel would do the same. Lily felt really accomplished, especially when he caught one of them looking at the other.

Time slipped away, as it always does.

Levy came to realize that she had plans later that night, "What time is it?"

Gajeel looked over that Lily, "Judging by the fact that Lily looks _very _tired, I'd say around ten thirty."

Lily glared a little, but didn't deny it. The exceed had a sort of sleep schedule that stayed the same depending on what was happening that night.

Levy sat up quickly, "Sorry, I just remembered I have something to do!" She stood and began to walk away, but not before waving at the two left on the field yelling, "Thanks a lot! We should do this again sometime!" Then she was out of sight, but not out of mind.

"Damn it!" Gajeel growled, "Where is she going?"

Lily chuckled, "What's wrong, sad the fun's over?"

Gajeel glared angrily, "Shut up, let's go." Lily knew there was no stopping Gajeel when his mind was set, so he followed along.

* * *

Levy made her way to the guild and stepped up to the stage like last time. "I'm sorry, Lu-chan!" She apologized quickly, "Time got away from me and I-"

Lucy smiled, she knew Levy didn't like to disappoint people, especially when they're her friends. "It's alright, Levy-chan. What matters is that you're here now, and even if you weren't, we'd wait until tomorrow."

"We?" Then Levy remembered that she was to have a different partner this time.

"Hello, Levy."

* * *

**Okay, that's it for today! I really hate to leave this in a cliffhanger, but if I don't stop here, I won't be able to finish until MUCH later. Who do you think Levy's partner will be this time? Well, I hope you liked this chapter. The reason why it wouldn't upload when I updated is mainly because I was still sort of editing the first chapter and was still editing this chapter. I apologize for any inconvenience if I caused any with the misunderstanding. PLEASE, REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW FOR MORE. It puts a smile on my face each time I see a new review, but I'm not going to pressure you into doing so. See ya next time! **

**-Ninja**


	3. Chapter 3

"Freed?!" Levy exclaimed, her see wide with surprise. She couldn't believe Lucy actually got him to do this.

Yet there he was, the green haired Mage leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. His facial expression as it always was, bored. "Are you alright, Levy?" He spoke calmly, "You seem a little startled."

He was right, "Heh, well, I didn't expect you to do this sort of thing."

Freed chuckled a little, "I agree, it is a little complexing. I would also say the same about you, I didn't know you were into the acting business." He smiled, jokingly.

"Well, Lucy asked, so I thought I wanted to help." That much was true. "But what about you?"

"Lucy asked me as well, and I couldn't turn down someone in need, especially a guildmate." He casually walked over to the two ladies and was handed the pieces of papers from Lucy. "So all I have to do is repeat these lines, correct?"

Lucy smiled, "That's right, and I'm no director, so just say them as you normally would." She took a seat on a large wooden crate. Her legs swung freely as she watched the two get ready.

* * *

Gajeel and Pantherlily made their way into the guild, just like they did the night before. The guild was empty and quiet, that is, except for a lowly kept conversation. Walking up to the stage, they opened the curtain slowly, only to see a little scene.

Levy was sitting on the floor, her back up against the wall, and Freed was sitting next to her. They were looking in each other's eyes, but had no facial expression whatsoever.

"The sequel." Freed plainly said.

"The original." Levy replied.

Even though they were looking at each other, it seemed as though they weren't seeing eye to eye. Their eyes were now glaring at one another, not breaking the tension. A snicker escaped Levy's mouth, her cheeks puffed up, trying not to smile. Freed, seeing her struggle, let out a chuckle and smiled slightly. Next thing you know, they're both laughing; big smiles on their faces, their cheeks red with embarrassment, and eyes teary.

"I'll admit, the sequel was pretty good," Levy said once she stopped laughing. "It answered a lot of questions."

Freed slowly stopped laughing as well, "Yes, and the original was pretty mysterious. After all, it was what started the whole adventure."

"Yeah, I suppose it did." Levy smiled a real smile, she was glad it was Freed. After all, they had some things in common and have known each other for a long time. Even so, it still didn't feel right...

"So," Freed started, leaning in slowly, "Is this the start of our adventure?" His voice was cool and calm, just like how he handled many situations.

Levy felt her face start to get hot. The line was super cheesy, and a little predictable, but no one's ever told her that. She didn't know how to handle this situation either! "U-um, I-I-I'm not sure about that..." She turned away from his gaze, trying to remember that he didn't really mean it. This was just some script, for some book, for a friend. "I don't think-"

"Ah, I see." Freed said at last, "Is there another?"

Gajeel huffed up and left, Lily following behind closely. As the edited the guild, Lily wasn't sure how Gajeel was reacting. Was he going to be upset because Freed was getting close to Levy, or was he going to be some what glad, because it seemed as though Levy turned him down?

"What I want to know," Gajeel started, "Is why everyone is suddenly going after the Shrimp."

"Hehe," Lily chuckled, a smile creeping up on his face.

"What so funny?"

"For a moment, I thought you were going to say 'My Shrimp,' but I'm sure that's what you meant anyway."

Gajeel stayed silent, if he argued, it would only give Lily the satisfaction.

"I can understand it being Freed though." Lily added, getting a startling stare from his partner. "Freed and Levy have some things in common: they're both smart, like books, can decipher texts, and can write and rewrite runes."

Gajeel hated to admit it, but the exceed was right. He and Levy didn't exactly see eye to eye (and not because if height difference), but isn't too much in common a bad thing? He was no love expert, but he wasn't going to let her slip away.

"Don't worry," Lily continued, "It _seemed _like she turned him down, so you still have a chance."

"Who says I want a chance?"

"Please, the way you look at her, protect her, and are always together pretty much speaks for itself."

The dragon slayer's checks grew a dark red, was it all _that _obvious? "So what do we do this time?" Gajeel looked down at Lily.

"We?"

"Yes, 'we'. You overheard everything too, so you're helping out."

"You're right, plus, you have no idea how to win a girl over."

Gajeel didn't say anything. Why did Lily _always _have to be right?

* * *

Lucy hopped up off the crate, "That was great, you two!" She rushed over and collected the sheets of paper. Straightening them out a bit, she reviewed the scene in her head, but something still didn't seem right. "Thanks a lot again, Freed."

Freed lifted his hand, showing his palm, "No need for thanks, in fact, this was fun. Good luck on your story." He face Levy, "You were pretty good yourself, Lucy was right when she said you were a natural."

Levy was shocked, "I'm no natural, you were pretty good too." She smiled, it was pretty fun, but it wasn't who she wanted to be with…

The two ladies said their goodbyes to Freed and were alone in the guild together. The guild was very eerie at night, the once loud area was now a wasteland of silence. The two made their way down the small set of stairs, and exited quietly.

Lucy decided to break the silence, "So, Levy-Chan," Levy turned to face her, "What'd you think of your conversation with Freed?"

"It was… very different form when I talked with Loke yesterday. " She looked down, a little disappointed. "Was it what you were looking for?" Levy didn't know how much more she could take of this, lying to her feelings. These people were nice, and she would gladly help them for any reason they had, but it wasn't the same.

Lucy pondered the thought, "Hmm, you two had a lot in common already, so I thought it might've been a good idea. Although, I'm not so sure it's right for this story…." Looking over at Levy, Lucy felt a little guilty, knowing that Levy was doing this all for her. "Levy-chan," she spoke softly, "You don't have to do this anymore if you don't want to."

Levy looked up, startled, "Lu-chan, I want to help you. It's just that, it didn't seem right."

"I know what you mean." She looked through the sheets of papers, "I think you two had too much in common to be perfect." She laughed to herself. "I want to find the right person for this story, but not if it makes you feel uncomfortable. After all, you are helping me a lot already."

"I am _determined _to help you out!" Levy said, she wasn't going to give up just yet. "You just tell me what I need to do." That's what Levy was saying, but she didn't know how much more of this she could take. "Do you have any idea for who could be next?"

Lucy gave some thought, "No." She sighed deeply, there's really no one in Fairy Tail with any charm, patience, or understanding of women. "I'll have to think for the next couple of days, is that alright with you?"

That was the first good news Levy had heard in a while, and she hated herself for thinking it was good news. Of course, she wanted to help Lucy, but every once in a while she needed a break, and this was the opportunity. "Yes, it's fine. Actually, I was thinking about going out on a job tomorrow. Is that alright?" Levy smiled nervously, wondering if Lucy would be ok with it.

"Anything for my lead role!"

* * *

The next day, things got off on the wrong foot. The sky was no longer the calm color blue, it was now an unsettling shade of gray. The clouds were dark, bringing the uneasiness of a light shower. The wondrous sun, the giver of warmth, was no where to be seen. It was hidden behind the curtain of rumbling clouds. The whole sky felt as though it would burst with a powerful pulse of rain, but the clouds only growled with temptation.

Juvia stared out the guild's window, the sky was giving her memories of before she met Gray. She remembered the times when she would go out for a walk, only to get showered by the falling water. The rain had cursed her life for as long as she could remember, she felt cursed, but at the same time, she felt blessed. It was because of the rain that she met so many wonderful people, including Gray. Juvia squinted into the cloudy surroundings, seeing a hint of blue. "Is that Levy-San?" She asked herself.

Right on cue, Levy waltzed I to the guild. Her soft blue hair was a little frizzy from the strong winds and wet climate. She straightened out her hair before sitting down next to Juvia. "Hello, Juvia!" She said gladly, "This is some weather this morning, huh?"

"Yes it is. Actually, it reminds Juvia of the first time she met Gray-sama!" She sang. She soon got lost in her little fantasy about her life with Gray. This was pretty normal for her, so Levy smiled. "By the way, Levy-san, weren't you planning to go on a job soon?"

"Yes, but I can't seem to find Jet or Droy anywhere!" It's true, she had been looking for them almost all morning. At first, she thought they were at the guild, but didn't see them, so she checked in the park, but no luck. Levy practically walked all over Magnolia, but no sign of the two. "I wonder where they went off to..." She worried about them. The three had known each other since they were kids, even if they weren't the strongest, they had one of the strongest bonds as a team.

"Juvia thinks maybe you should go on a job by yourself this time."

"You think so?"

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, so it'll be good to get some alone time."

Levy was startled, it seemed like her face was an open book. "I don't know…" Her voice trailed off quietly. "Going alone isn't really my style, I like having someone to go with." Levy set her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. "I just don't understand why those two," she referred to Jet and Droy, "would go off without telling me something." She stood up, not wanting to waste time. "See ya, Juvia, and thanks for the advice!" Her hand waved slightly and she was off to the request board.

Levy took time deciding the perfect job; one that would be a challenge, but wouldn't take up too much time. There were so many to choose from, some including finding treasure, others were a request for security, then there were the ones that mages wouldn't waste their time on. There weren't many requests for a mage to decipher a text or anything that required a lot of brain work.

"Levy!" A voice called out.

Levy looked in the bar's direction to see Mirajane gesturing Levy to walk over. With precaution, Levy made her way to the barmaid. "Yes, Mira, is something wrong?"

"Nope!" Mirajane's voice was as pleasant as always, but today she sounded a little happier. "I just wanted to show you this request that just came in." She handed Levy the piece of paper.

It read: "**HELP! WEIRD TEXT FOUND AND NEEDED DECIPHERING! JUST HURRY UP SO I CAN READ IT! WHOEVER IS GOOD AT THIS SORT OF STUFF BE HERE OR NO REWARD!**"

Levy didn't like the tone of the writing; it had "snotty, rich and thinks they're better than everyone else" practically written all over it. She was thinking of declining, but changed her mind when her eyes read over the reward price. "600,000 JEWELS?!" Levy read out loud, whoever requested this must be insane! "Are you sure the price of the job is correct?"

Mira simply nodded her head, a wide smile revealing itself. "You better hurry if you want to catch the eleven o'clock train!" She was right, the train was about to leave in a little over a half-hour.

"Thanks, Mira!" Levy said as she began to speed walk away. "If you see Jet and Droy, please tell them I'm sorry!"

Mirajane waved goodbye, Levy had a good heart. Even if it was her partner's fault that they weren't present, Levy still wanted to apologize; that was just the kind of person she was. It's hard to believe it's been seven years, and everyone is still the same. This put another smile on Mira's face, if everyone suddenly changed, she didn't know what she would do.

* * *

Levy rushed out of the guild, not watching where she was going. That's when she bumped into something sturdy, knocking her off her feet. "I'm sorry!" She apologized quickly.

"You should be," the person spoke, "Watch where you're going next time." That was a voice Levy would always recognize. Gajeel smirked and watched the bluenette stand up, brushing some dust off of her orange dress.

Lily shook his head, couldn't Gajeel have been a _little _more considerate? The exceed walked to Levy calmly, "I take it you're ready to go?" He asked.

"Go?"

Gajeel scoffed, "You're going on a job aren't ya?" Levy nodded, "Then we're your partners for the day."

Levy looked a bit confused, "What about Jet and Droy?"

"What about them?" Gajeel answered.

Lily, once again, shook his head in disapproval, "They're busy at the moment, so they asked us if we could fill in."

"Really?" Levy titled her head slightly, she had no idea Jet and Droy were doing something without letting her know. "Ok then, but I already picked the job," she held up the paper, "I hope that's alright."

Lily had the feeling Gajeel was going to make some sarcastic remark so he quickly replied, "It's fine, let's go."

They were off to the train station, a Dragon Slayer's worst nightmare….

* * *

Inside the guild, things were pretty quiet, Natsu and Gray were at separate ends of the table, giving each other death glares. The two were separated by Lucy and Juvia, who were hoping all hell wouldn't break loose before noon.

"Just you wait Flame Face," Gray taunted, "Once you make the first move, you're going to regret it."

"I don't think so," Natsu replied, "You stripping Yeti, the one making the first move will be-" Natsu was cut off by a loud banging sound.

The two grew quiet, listening carefully. There it was again. The girls soon noticed the sound as well, both of them slid their hair behind their ears to listen better. They all knew it wasn't the front door, it was never locked, so no one ever knocked. The banging sound started getting louder, and louder with every second. Both Natsu and Gray stood up and started walking around, trying to find the strange noise. It suddenly made them realize that the sound was coming from _inside _the guild. Juvia and Lucy joined them as well, heading to the far back of the guild. There was a broom closet, and it seemed as though something inside was making the noise.

"W-What's in there?" Lucy asked, quivering behind Natsu.

"No idea," Natsu answered, "But whatever it is, it can't get out."

Gray looked a little annoyed, "And what gave you that thought?"

Juvia pointed at the door, "It seems as though the door is nailed shut." She was right, there was some kind of metal that kept the door from swinging open.

Natsu stepped forward, a wide grin on his face. His fist was flaming, with one punch, the door was knocked from its hinges. The two beings inside of the closet fell out of the doorway, their hands and feet held together by some metal; both of them had a bandana wrapped around their mouth, which fell off when they fell out of the small space.

"Jet! Droy!" The four mages yelled, they all tried helping them up, but the helpless men were struggling too much, trying to get the cuffs off.

"WHERE'S GAJEEL? THAT BASTARD!" They both yelled at the same time.

* * *

Nearing the train station, Gajeel's mouth form a dangerous smirk, "Gihi!" he snickered.

Levy looked up at him, "What's so funny?"

"Gihi, nothing." He replied, the smirk still on his face.

* * *

**Alrighty, here's chapter 3! I hoped you liked it, now remember to FAVORITE, FOLLOW, and REVIEW! I can't wait to get started on the next chapter. By the way, this story has gotten 1,000 views (I know it's not a lot, but it is to me)! Thanks a bunch! So what do you think their job will be like? You'll just have to wait and see! 'till next time! **

**-Ninja **


	4. Chapter 4

The train station was as busy as ever, you've never seen so many business-like looking people in one place before. Everywhere you looked, men in suits and ties carrying briefcases, women in silky dresses, and animals in carrying cages, were making their way into lines and boarding the trains. Then, there were Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily, who seemed to stand out more than ever. Gajeel, with his mean struck face and his giant-like height made people want to move around him faster, not wanting to make eye contact. Levy made herself well known with her blue hair and her orange dress, but she was always getting pushed by the busy people walking. Lily was the lucky one, who used his wings to hover over the crowds.

The three wizards made their way onto the train, and sat in the far back. Levy sat down next to a window and looked out on all the people scurrying around like ants. Gajeel was thinking about sitting in front of her, but Lily quickly nudged him to take a seat next to the girl. It was known by Lily that Gajeel didn't know an opportunity to make a move even if it was covered in lights and iron. The Dragon Slayer had no choice but to sit next to Levy or he would hear it for the rest of his life from the exceed.

After a while, the train sped off, leaving behind Magnolia and all the busy people in it. Levy stared out the window, smiling, it seemed to be something of a habit for her. The silence was a little much for Lily, so he decided to bring up a conversation.

"So, Levy," Her attention turned away from the window, "What is this job you picked?"

Levy held the paper up, "All we have to do is decipher some ancient text!" Her smile grew a little wider, "And if you think that's easy enough, check out the pay!"

The two read over the reward price, 600,000 jewels? That seemed a little overpriced, but they weren't complaining.

Gajeel scratched his head, "It seems an awful lot just to read some words."

Levy bowed her head slightly. "Yeah, I know, but it seemed so easy. I'm sure the text is either _really _difficult, or the person who sent the request it _really _rich and snobby." She giggled a little, "For our sake, I hope it's the first one." She knew how Gajeel acted around people who thought they were better, she did _not _want that to happen this time.

Gajeel didn't reply, he just watched her smile. It was strange how someone like her can laugh around someone like him. Usually when people see him, they run away or don't even talk at all, but with her, it was different. He smirked, "Alright then, we're counting on you." Suddenly, a feeling of nausea took over, making his stomach feel like it was spiraling out of control. He felt his face turn from red, to green, this can _not _be happening! _There's no way, _he thought, _how am I supposed to look cool with my stomach in knots?! Damn it! _

Lily studied Gajeel's face and made a quick diagnostic: motion sickness. It was weird, he heard from the other guild members that Gajeel was fine riding vehicles and other forms of transportation, so why did it start taking place so far into his life? Since Wendy wasn't around to help, the only thing the Exceed could do was wait, and watch how this was going to turn out. Soon, a devilish smirk was put on Lily's face, wondering how the Dragon Slayer was going to keep his cool this time.

Levy looked at Gajeel worryingly. "Are you okay, Gajeel, you don't look well." She placed her hand on his hand calmly.

"Y-Yeah, everything's f-f-fine." His face starting getting greener with every passing moment, and this made Levy worry even more.

"Do you have a fever?" Levy moved a little so she was sitting on her knees, facing him. When she was about to eye level with him, she placed her forehead on his. Closing her eyes, she began to feel the difference in temperature, unaware of Gajeel's current, panicking, state. Levy's eyes began to open slowly, and soon, hazel met red. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were a mix of red and green. The girl soon realized what she was doing and her face began to glow red as well. She quickly pulled away frantically and looked away. "Y-You don't seem to have a fever." Her cheeks started to get hot as she felt the blood rush through them quickly. "M-Maybe your motion sickness is acting up. I-I'm not so sure what to do about that!"

Lily just stared in awe of the scene that just happened before his very eyes. He was in a daze, did that _really _just happen?! His hands covered his mouth quietly, to not disturb them, but he was so shocked he couldn't say anything. Everything seemed to be going smoothly (except for the motion sickness part), so he just need Gajeel to man up and make a move as well. Why was it that Dragon Slayers were the toughest of the tough, the bravest of the brave, but were unable to get a girl? That is probably a mystery that will never be solved.

"Oh, wait!" Levy exclaimed, "Erza told me this one time where she stopped Natsu's motion sickness by knocking him out." She glanced over at Gajeel again, noticing, yet again, their height difference. "Um, well, I don't think I have that sort of strength, but I can put you to sleep for a while. Is that alright?"

Gajeel's hand covered his mouth. "If you're going to then you better make it fast," He growled.

This was _not _part of the plan! In order for Gajeel to win Levy over, he needed to be _awake_. Although, Lily couldn't think of anything else, and it seemed as though Gajeel wasn't going to make a move anyways, so he just watched.

Levy made the word, "SLEEP", appear. It was a sandy color word, with a texture much like dust, it was light, because it floated down softly, and disappeared into sparkling dust. The dust fell onto Gajeel, but he didn't feel any different.

"Nice try, Shrimp." He consulted her, his hand still on his mouth.

Levy slumped, she was sure that would work, how could it not? "How did it not work? Are you sure you-" she stopped when Gajeel started blinking rapidly. "Ah, there it goes!" She smiled in victory.

Gajeel's eyes closed and his hand fell from his mouth. His expression was now mostly relaxed, his mouth hung open a little, letting out a light snore. This was _way _better than being sick. Although he stirred from time to time; the sleep magic didn't get rid of all the motion sickness.

Levy giggled, she had never seen the way Gajeel slept before. "He seems a lot less rude now, doesn't he?"

Lily chuckled as well. "As a matter of fact, I could get used to this." He looked around at the scenery outside the window, watching the trees pass one by one. Lily didn't know much about ancient text, but what he did know was that it would've been _way _easier if the text was on the job form. Then, whoever deciphered it, would contact the one who sent the job; it seemed easy enough. "So why isn't the text on the job form?" Lily asked out loud. Why think it, when he can get an actual answer.

Levy giggled again. "There was an incident with that. It was actually before we even met Gajeel." Levy continued to explain the concept of when Natsu read the wording out loud and ended up switching bodies with Loke, not leaving out any detail.

Lily looked a little surprised when Levy mentioned Loke's name. "Wait, the Celestial Spirit?"

"Well we didn't know he was a Celestial Spirit at the time." The two had a good laugh, along with the sleeping Gajeel in their presence. Along the way, something must've been on the train tracks, because the whole train shook. "Whoa!" Levy gasped as she was thrown around. Then something heavy landed on her.

She looked down to see that Gajeel's head was on her lap. This made her face glow a bright pink. His head was facing away from her, and thank goodness he didn't wake up. Levy didn't know what she would do if he found himself in that awkward position. She glanced to Lily for help, but only received some advice.

"I wouldn't move, you could wake him up and he'd have to suffer his sickness all over again." Damn, he used the only method that Levy wouldn't go against, and that's having to make someone else suffer.

The bluenette sighed in defeat, knowing she couldn't do anything without moving him. Her eyes moved from Lily to Gajeel's hair. It was so sleek and shiny, she had no idea he took such well care of his hair. Her right hand cautiously wavered through the long black locks. It was even neatly brushed, maybe he was more hygienic than she thought. Levy's hand soon started stroking his hair unconsciously, as if it were a bad habit of hers. She had no where else to look but the window, where she saw a clear sky and warm sun. This made her feel a little calmer about the current situation.

Lily smiled in victory, even if Gajeel was unconscious for the moment, things were going well. It was a shame that he couldn't see the reaction on Gajeel's face when he realized where he was laying. Then, something caught Lily's eye, a toothy grin. With Levy looking away, Gajeel's eyes were wide open, a smirk on his face. Lily stared, wide eyed, trying to understand what had just happened. Did Gajeel actually come up with a plan that actually _worked _behind his back?

_Bravo. _Lily thought, even he wouldn't think to fake motion sickness to make a move. That thought soon went south when Gajeel's face started turning a light green, sweat droplets were already rolling down the side of his face. The Dragon Slayer's eyes weren't open anymore, they were now shut tight with pain. Okay, so Gajeel didn't have enough willpower to stop his sickness, but he still made it his advantage. Kudos to him!

* * *

After about another hour train ride, the steaming locomotive finally made its finally stop: a large, rich city named, "Okane". Even before the train stopped, tall buildings were already in sight. Not only buildings, but houses (or at least _seemed _like houses) the size of guilds were scattered everywhere. People dressed in fancy clothes roamed the streets, even if it meant their feet would get dirty, but that's the thing, there was no dirt. All the roads seemed to be made from polished marble, and diamonds. Okay, maybe the material wasn't exactly the genuine mineral, but they did sparkle like diamonds.

Levy stared in awe, she had never seen a town quite like this. Her eyes glanced at everything that sparkled, catching her interest. She smiled brightly, maybe this job wasn't going to be so bad after all. Her hands carefully shook Gajeel, who stood up slowly and smirked.

His smirk quickly changed into a frown when he remembered the hell he just went through. "Stupid ass train." He grumbled. "Stupid ass motion sickness." He began to walk away when he remembered the one's he journeyed with. Turning around, he saw both of them (Lily and Levy) gawking at something outside the window. He shook his head, smirking again. "You know, you both can get a better look if you get off the train." That sure got their attention because they turned around quickly and rushed out.

Walking along the shining street, the three looked around their surroundings. They sure weren't in Magnolia anymore. It seemed like you couldn't turn in anyway without seeing someone with their nose in the air, or someone paying money for something they obviously didn't need. Levy and Lily seemed to be having a better time than Gajeel did, because they were the only ones smiling.

"I wonder what kind of bookstores they have here!" Levy asked out loud. "They probably have books you can't buy anywhere else!" Just the thought gave her a smile. Not only did she like books, but she like the kind of books that were rare. It made her feel special knowing certain knowledge that was only supposed to be known by a few people.

"Do you think the kiwi juice here tastes any different?" Lily also wondered. It was times like this he didn't have to worry about being tough, and actually spent time to relax. The environment around him actually reminded him of Edolas. The way the Lacrima would light up the town so everyone had magic power, it gave the people a sense of protection, peace. Gajeel's fowl mood went unnoticed by Lily. "What's with the long face? We got off the train, didn't we?"

Gajeel's scowl didn't move. "This place is a little too prissy and shiny for me." Actually, he was right. The way he dressed with his loose beige pants in his black studded boots, not to mention the studs around his dark tunic and black gloves (which were also studded if you couldn't guess). It made him seem like the pauper was taking a stroll around the prince's kingdom (at least, in Levy's eyes). "Where the hell is this place again?"

Levy looked at the job request again. "It says on the street name, 'Kyogi'." She squinted. "That's just about it." Levy shrugged her shoulders, the address was so vague, was all this a prank after all? "Maybe we should ask someone."

"Tch, I'm not going near one of these pampered babies." Gajeel refused before even being asked to do something.

"Um, okay." Levy was unsure of herself, but she had to do something, or they were going home empty handed. She walked up to an older looking woman, wearing a fur coat and underneath a shiny silver sequined dress, along with white high heels. "E-Excuse me." Levy spoke softly.

The woman looked her way, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, what is it?" She spoke harshly.

"Um, we were wondering if you knew where Kyogi Road was?"

The woman scoffed. "Puh-lease, anyone who's anyone knows that Kyogi is straight this way." She pointed her long finger down a street that led into the outside of town. "Just head that way, and, if you have any kind of brain, you should find your way there." The woman shuffled away quickly, not wanting to be seen talking to them.

Levy slumped a little. "That was better than I thought it was going to be." She smiled slightly then led the way.

Gajeel just watched in horror, did that really just happen? Did someone just really treat them as if they were trash? They were Fairy Tail wizards, damn it! Not some circus on the side of the road. If that was just one resident of the town, Gajeel couldn't bare to think of who sent the request.

* * *

When they finally made it at the end of the road, they realized why there was only a street name for the address. This giant mansion was the only house on the road. It was a white building, three stories high, with elegant stairs that made their way up to the front door. Walking up to the door, the three mages seemed a little nervous. Who knows what could be behind that door. Gajeel pounded with his fists and gave a loud knock. The door soon opened to reveal a tall man with dark brown hair; it was combed back very neatly, revealing his bright blue eyes. He wore a fashionable black suit and a dark blue tie.

"Yes, what do I owe the pleasure of such guests as yourself?" He asked politely.

Levy let a sigh of relief, thank goodness this man wasn't anything like the woman they had met earlier. "We're here to answer about the job you requested." She held up the flyer.

The man's eyes widened. "Ah, yes, please come in." He opened the tall white doors and stepped aside. "Please, pardon the confusion, I had no idea you'd be here so soon."

"Well when did ya think we'd get here?" Gajeel said coldly. He didn't know who this guy was, but he was already getting on Gajeel's nerves.

"Right this way." He motioned the group to follow him. Together, they all walked down an extravagant hall. It was dressed with paintings on every wall and a long red carpet made its way from one end of the hall to the other. "May I ask what the name of the ones who have answered my request?"

Levy was shocked, never has she heard such polite language. "My name is Levy," she placed a hand on Gajeel's shoulder, "This is Gajeel," she looked down at the exceed, "And this is Pantherlily."

"I suppose it would be polite to announce my name, wouldn't it?" The man asked. He stopped walking and spun around, bowing with his right hand over his heart. "My name is Nisemono Takara, but please call me, 'Nise'. He looked up and took Levy by the hand. "I am truly honored to have a smart young girl come forth to a challenge."

Gajeel pulled Levy towards him before this "Nise" guy could try something funny. "Enough with the introductions, just show us what we came to see."

Nise turned back around and kept walking, having to be followed by three others. Lily nudged Gajeel. "You better keep a close eye on this guy." He whispered. "He's rich, polite and charming, some things that you're missing."

Gajeel growled, but didn't argue.

* * *

After a while of walking, they came among a pair of large white wooden doors. Nise opened them and stepped into the room. Inside, sunlight poured through the windows that occupied each wall. From the floor up, there were bookshelves on top of bookshelves, just holding up _thousands _of books. Levy gasped and covered her mouth with her hands to keep her from being overwhelmed. She's never seen this many books in one place before, it was like a dream.

Nise caught sight of her amazement and smiled. "It seems the books have caught the lady's attention?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "Here, let me get this for you." he pulled out a chair that was stationed at a polished marble table. As Levy sat down, Nise pushed the chair back in.

Gajeel crossed his arms, there was no way he was going to lose to some pretty boy with a library in his house.

"Now," Nise began as he walked to a glass tank and picked up a stone fragment, "This is what was found at an excavation site near the ends of Fiore." He carried the stone towards the table Levy was sitting at. "No one quite knows what it says, not even skilled archaeologists." He placed the stone on the table. "Do you think you can do something about it, Miss Levy?"

Levy studied the form of rock. It was rough on one end and smooth where the text was, indicating that it was a part of something, or the piece has been eroded greatly over time. The text didn't seem like any words at all, it was just a bunch of scribbles, dots, and the repetition of a sun. "I can sure try." Levy answered.

Nise made his way towards Gajeel and Lily. "I hope I can rely on you two gentlemen as well to help solve this as well." The polite blonde man walked out the doors, but not before saying, "I'll be by in a moment to check on your progress. Help yourself to the books!" With a wave of the hand, he was gone, and Gajeel was free to breathe.

Levy took out a magnifying glass out of her small red bag. She began to identify what characters the scribbles could mean on a notepad she had also packed. Gajeel took a seat next to her side. "What do you think?" He found his question to be a little vague. "About the wordings."

Levy sighed. "I'm not even sure if they're really words, for all I know, it could be some chicken scratch."

Lily climbed onto the table to get a better look at the stone writing. "There's got to be something you can do. After all, you have a wide variety of books to look at." He gestured her attention on the books on every wall.

As Levy began to look closer at the patterns, there wasn't anything she could relate to in that wide knowledge of hers. "To be honest, I'm still not sure. I wouldn't even know where to start, or where to look in any of those books."

Gajeel decided this was his chance. "Don't go bailing on me now." It seemed as though she was already giving up, and there was no way he was going to let her do that. "You're the smartest person I know." He said, looking into her eyes sternly so she knew he meant it. "If anyone can read this, it's you."

Levy felt a sly blush creeping on her cheeks. "Okay then!" Her small hands formed fists. "I guess I better get to it!" She stood up and made her way to the large bookshelf.

Lily smirked when she walked away. "Since when are you so sincere?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, and scowled. "Since I realized I have to step up my game if I'm gonna win."

"Win what?" Lily asked.

"This war." Gajeel replied, his hands also forming fists. Not only did he have to deal with the losers at the guild coming onto Levy, but now he had to worry about this Prince Charming? There was no way in hell was he going to lose her to this guy; not this guy or any guy.

* * *

**Here it is, chapter four! This actually took a long time to type, but, as always, I manage. What did you think about the train ride or their experience in town? What do you think of Nisemono Takara? Anyways, this story now has over 2,000 views! Wow, that's a lot, especially over a short period of time from the last chapter update! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm sorry for the wait! I was busy with a few things. One of them being the new one shot I just posted called, "Return to Sender", and editing another one-shot called, "The Outfit", if you get a chance, stop by and read them (if you want). Please remember to FAVORITE, FOLLOW, and REVIEW (it always puts a smile on my face)! I guess I'll be getting started on chapter five. See ya!**

**-Ninja **


	5. Chapter 5

The ancient text was nothing to laugh at. Whatever it was could be unlocking the secret of the past, or the undefining future. The first thing Levy needed to do was to find the origin of the wordings. Where did it come from? Who wrote it? What does it hide? This was _very _difficult considering how much she knew. She wanted to narrow down the possibilities of both the words and where it came from. Nise had said it was found at the end of Fiore, but is that where is _really _came from? Treasure is found in different places all around the world, but it's never what it seems to be.

"Okay," Levy states, clapping her hands together. She got the attention of both her partners. "We need to find every book on minerals we can."

Gajeel scoffed. "Excuse me, _genius_, but we're supposed to be reading this crap, not seeing how pretty it is."

Lily knew this was going to go bad, but just _when_ was it supposed to happen?

Levy put both of her fists on her hips. "In order to _read _it, we first need to find out where it came from, _Gajeel._" A wave of uneasiness hit him. "If we can narrow down the location of where the certain mineral the stone is made of. We can learn of the people who lived in that area throughout time," she moved towards the large bookshelves, already pulling books out one at a time. "Then we can figure out what kind of people wrote the text. By doing so, we can find out what language it's written in." With four books already in her arms, she carried them to the table they were sitting at. "When that happens, we'll be able to slowly decipher their language into our language by taking time to learn what each symbol means." She set the books down with a "thud". Her arms were covered in dust, why was that? She quickly shook the dust off and huffed. "Get it now?"

Gajeel was in a daze, who knew she could explain things so well and still know what she's talking about. His eyes were wide and his mouth seemed to be open a bit, causing the inside to be dry. He was about to say something sarcastic, but couldn't think of anything to say. Gajeel knew Levy was smart, although, he didn't know she was _this _smart. He watched as she smiled and turned around smoothly before going back to her books. That time when she rewrote Freed's runes before the Fantasia parade made him realize how smart she was. Not only that, but to look him in the eyes and ask for help, opened his mind to her bravery and forgiveness. He must've been sitting there for a while because Lily came along and nudged him.

"Seems like she dazzled you with her brains." Lily smirked, knowing he was right. He leaned in to whisper to Gajeel. "It seems like she's having some trouble." They both looked her way, she was standing on her tiptoes trying to reach a book. "If you hurry, you can get to her before _I _do." The exceed's wings spread wide, giving Gajeel a reason to get up and talk to her.

Gajeel made his way over to Levy, seeing her struggle. His boots made soft tapping noises on the marble floor. A devious grin widened on his face, remembering how short she was. His hands grabbed a hold of her hips as he lifted her up softy.

"Whoa!" Levy hollered in a surprised tone. She looked down to see Gajeel's smirking face. Her cheeks grew pink.

"It looked like you needed some help." He had no need of adding "Shorty," or "Shrimp," at the end because she knew her height and was already embarrassed.

Levy quickly grabbed the book she needed, holding it close to her chest, hoping it would silence the sound her, loudly, beating heart made. "T-Thanks." She began to feel him set her down, but she didn't want this moment to end. So, she quickly made up and excuse. "W-Wait!" He stopped, keeping her at his eye level. "I, um, need to reach that book." She pointed her finger at a book on a taller shelf than Gajeel.

Gajeel thought this was the perfect moment to get closer to her. He lifted her up even higher and set her on his shoulders. The nervousness on her face was well seen, and it made him snicker. "Gihi." He stepped a few feet to the side and allowed her to grab the book she asked for.

Levy knew that when she brought the book down, Gajeel and Lily would see that the book had nothing to do with minerals at all. The title of the book was, "Embroidery For Beginner," she needed some way to pull this off.

"Um, I guess I was mistaken." She lied, well it was sort of a half lie. She had the idea the book she pointed out wasn't correct, but that was the book she pointed to. Her hands wrapped around the book loosened up as she set the book back. Now all she had to do was wait for Gajeel to put her down, and the moment would be over. She frowned at the thought of it, her eyes drooping a bit.

"I'm not going to keep picking you up each time." Gajeel grumbled. "Just stay there and pick out what you need first." A dark shade of red made his way on his cheeks, and he took a glance back at Pantherlily who was watching the whole thing from the table.

Lily gave Gajeel a thumbs up, proud that Gajeel actually handled something right by himself and _correctly _for once. He noticed Levy's face bright up as she directed him to another book. She began handing him the books to hold, since he was so strong. Every once in a while, Lily would catch Gajeel glimpse up at Levy's smile. It seemed like that was Gajeel's favorite thing about her, and he couldn't blame him. Her smile was always welcoming, and full of warmth. Lily knew that the day Levy stopped smiling, was the day the Dragon Slayer would go ballistic, and make sure he taught whoever made her frown a lesson.

* * *

After a while, Gajeel let Levy down and they went to analyze the books they had gathered. There were books of all sizes, thick ones, thin ones, books that had bright covers, books that had a dull colors, books about the forests, books about the deserts, and many more. It was decided that since Levy had done this sort of stuff before, she would lead the investigation. The first thing she had the guys do was organize all the books they had. The next thing she did, was ask for silence. Her hand reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses. She quietly slipped them on and opened a book.

Gajeel had remembered her wearing them to break Freed's runes, but Lily had never seen them before.

"What is she-" Lily whispered before being cut off by Gajeel, who was smirking.

"Just watch." He demanded.

Lily watched carefully as Levy opened a book and a small circle enlarged itself in front of the girl's face. A sparkling light shines from the circle to the words on the pages to move around at amazing speed. Levy's eyebrows scrunched up as the words floated around, she began to turn the page quickly, one after another, until the book was done. The book closed, making a loud "snap" sound as Levy set the book down and picked up another one.

This repeated itself for what seemed like a long time, until Levy grinned.

"Got it!" She exclaimed. She stood up in joy, holding the book in front of her. Gajeel and Lily looked curious to what she had found, so she set the open book on the table. There was a picture of the same rock that was in front of them. "This stone is a special type of granite, only found on tropical islands in the south." She pulled out a map from her bag. "The only south islands charted are the 'Tahou', 'Kolan', and 'Rona'. It makes the granite special because it has bits of silver, gold, and different diamonds. These were the only islands with all those minerals." This made the two notice how much the stone had sparkled. "Now all we have to do is discover the books based off of those islands, and find out its natives!"

Gajeel put his hand on her shoulder. "See, I said you could do it." He was certainly in a good mood, figuring he would be able to assist Levy in reaching on tall shelves. Just as he was about to stand up, the door opened.

Nise stepped in the room, a smile on his face. He held his hands behind his back carefully making his way over to the group. Upon seeing the many books on the table, Nise clapped his hands. "Ah, I see you're all making fine progress."

Levy nodded. "That's right, it's only a matter of time before we decipher it!" She gave a warm smile.

Gajeel and Lily sneered at the rich man, how dare he intrude when things were going on so well. If that wasn't bad enough, it seemed like Nise was here to stay.

Nise began to feel like he was being watched and turned to look at Gajeel and Lily, noticing their sneers. "I say, is there something on my face, gentlemen?" Nise began feeling his face, searching for whatever the two in front of him were looking at. "So then, Miss Levy, is there anything I can help with?"

Levy had the idea to ask Nise for help, but to be honest, she really just wanted to have some time with Gajeel. "No, it's okay." She smiled towards Gajeel. "We're doing fine." Gajeel smirked in response.

A frown replaced the smile on Nise's face. "I see…" His voice trailed off for a moment. "Well then, just call if you need anything." He bowed as he did before. "And I will come to you." Spinning on his heel, Nise walked out the door, leaving the team alone.

Lily sighed, to him, that all seemed like a waste of time. He really hoped Levy would see past all what Nise was presenting to his performance, to realize who it was who truly cared for her wellbeing. Looking at Gajeel would only upset him; he already had enough problems getting cold feet, having competition wasn't supposed to be added to the list of challenges.

What made the situation less exciting was the fact that the books they needed were all next to each other, on the lowest shelf in the room. Gajeel had the thought it was all Nise's doing, but had no proof to back it up, so he let the thought dissolve away.

With Levy using her Gale-Force Reading Glasses, finding the name of the long lost civilization was a snap. It was located on the south coast of the island Tahou, named the "Kashikoi".

Levy read out loud, "It's says that the Kashikoi were the tribe most known for its wise sayings and reading fortunes."

"So is this some kind of fortune?" Gajeel asked, suddenly wanting to know the details.

"I'm not sure." Levy replied, propping her elbow on the table and resting her head on her palm. "It also says that the Kashikoi believed that the heart was much like the sun, warm, giving life, and caring. On the contrary, the eyes are like the sea, carrier of salty water, hiding things, easily-" she stopped talking, catching Lily's attention.

"What is it?"

"I think I get it!" She quickly noted some words down. "If I take those dots on the stone down, read them from lowest to highest," she blushed, it reminded her of when Gajeel lifted her up, "using the highest form of characters and the lowest, I should be able to read it in guild grammar. The parts with the Sun and the wavy lines are easy now!" She hopped up, and gave Gajeel a hug. "Thanks for helping!" Levy began to jog away, excited to tell Nise the good news.

Gajeel was dazed once again, what just happened? He wasn't sure if he was confused because Levy figured out the wordings, because it seemed like he helped, or if it was because she hugged him. Either way, she was about to leave his sight, and he didn't want that. Getting up, he notices Pantherlily was way ahead of him, not losing sight of the Solid Script mage.

* * *

They soon caught up with Levy, who was talking with Nise. The distance they were standing at was pretty far, so Gajeel let it slide, but just seeing them together made him want to kick the guy's face in.

Levy turned around to face them. "Oh, hey, I was just telling Nise that we are able to read the text now!" She smiled brightly, handing Nise a piece of paper.

Nise smiled as well, taking the paper and placing it in his coat pocket. "I knew you were a bright young lady, Miss Levy. So, as promised, here is your pay." He tossed a small pouch at her carelessly, turning away.

The bag seemed kind of light, so Levy opened it. She was disappointed to see that the amount on the request form wasn't there. Clearly this had to be a mistake. "Um, excuse me." Nise didn't turn around. "The pay on the form said 600,000 jewels, this is only about 6,000."

Nise finally turned around, a devilish smirk on his face. "No, actually, there is _exactly _6,000 jewels, just as promised."

This was pissing Gajeel off, was this guy about to rip them off? Especially after all the hard work they (mainly Levy) did?

Lily could tell Gajeel was going to freak out, so he decided to handle it. "Listen, the job request said 600,000 jewels to whoever can decipher the words, Levy did it, now just give her the money."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Nise tsked them, waving a finger in their faces. From his other coat pocket, he pulled out the job request, "I'm guessing you didn't read the fine print?"

Levy's eyes widened, and her mouth opened in astonishment. "Fine print?" She asked quietly, taking out the form she had, and squinting very hard. Her eyes had trouble finding the print that she had missed. Levy never missed a word, that's how she understood books so well, so how could this have passed her?

Nise rolled his eyes, pointing at the bottom left corner of the page. Taking a monocle out of his slack's pocket, he read out loud. "The pay written on the form in bold will be given out to the taker of this job _if _the mage meets the requirements."

"Requirements?" Gajeel asked annoyingly. "You better start making sense before I start breaking bones."

Nise scoffed, "I was hoping to meet a wonderful mage who would wait on me hand and foot." he glared at Lily and Gajeel, "I did _not _however ask for a cave man who _obviously _doesn't know what a haircut is, or a stupid vermin excuse for a cat such as the one in front of me."

Gajeel's fist turning into an iron mallet and Lily transformed, trying to intimidate the man. Nise just waved his hand and started to walk away, ignoring the two who were in battle mode. The two had just about enough of this guy. How could someone who acted so polite, act so rude in under a minute? Levy's smile disappeared, and that was enough of an excuse for Gajeel to beat the crap out of this wolf in sheep's skin. Although, for the sake of not destroying the building, Lily decided to try and reason with Nise.

"What about Levy?" He snarled, his eyes narrow and teeth showing. "She's the smartest out of all of us, surely she made the requirements!"

Nise stopped walking and turned around, that obnoxious smile still on his face. "Ha, I thought you'd say that. However, I'm afraid the requirements have nothing to do with brains." He stared at Levy, his smile gone in disgust. "You see, what I was hoping for was a beautiful, tall, _and_ filling mage." He looked Levy up and down with his nose in the air. "And what did I get? A flat chested child, with no means of becoming strong ." He turned away once more, "Now if you will, the job is complete, so leave."

Levy couldn't take it, she actually thought this guy was charming. She hated him, but most of all she hated herself for believing him. The Kashikoi were right all along… "Let's go, Gajeel, Lily." Her head hung low, her eyes hidden and teeth clenched. She face the direction of the door, and slowly shuffled her way out. She didn't want it to end like that, but she had no choice. If she acted out, something could back fire at her, especially with someone in a higher class.

When she was out of earshot, Gajeel and Lily made their move, taking a long leap and grabbing Nise. They pinned him to the floor, knocking the wind out of him. Nise's face showed fear, worry, and distress, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I-If you don't cease this at once, I'll tell your master. I'm sure you'll both get exiled!" He gave a throaty laugh, but stopped when he heard another laugh.

Gajeel snickered, "Do you really think I care if you tell on me like a sissy?" His hand formed an iron sword. "You took her smile away, and now," he pressed the sword up against Nise's neck, "I'm gonna take away your head!"

Those words were enough to kill Nise alone. Tears streamed down his face rapidly, his head shaking, pleading with some gibberish that no one could understand.

Gajeel looked at Lily, "Let him go."

Lily looked surprised, but did as he was told. Nise took this chance to run away, down the long hallway. His arms were flailing and his legs seemed to give out on him a few times. "Are you sure?" He asked Gajeel, who smirked.

"Yeah," his hand turned back into an iron mallet, "IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!" His arm stretched down the hall, meeting up with Nise's back.

The man arched backwards, his legs stopped working and he stumbled forward. He hit the ground face first, and did a somersault into the end wall. His eyes were closed, and a large bump showed below his, now, messy hair. However, the tears continued to stream down his face, non-stop.

* * *

Gajeel and Pantherlily stepped outside the house, their revenge feeling sweet. Their eyes fell on a head of blue sitting on the bottom of the stairs, hugging her knees in her chest. The sight was too painful to watch, not one of them has seen Levy this upset. They slowly went down the stairs, keeping their sight on the girl. When they were close enough, she spun around, her gaze meeting theirs.

"There you two are!" She said, smiling slightly. "I was wondering when ya'll were coming out." It was painful for her to smile, and they could tell. She stood up and handed them a pouch. "Here, it's your share of the jewels. I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing..."

Gajeel held his hand up, refusing. "We didn't do anything worth-"

Levy forced Gajeel to hold the pouch. "Take it." She said, her hand holding his. "You did help me. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck in that library with…" she hated the name, "Nise."

Lily crossed his arms. "You won't need to worry about him for a while."

Her eyes widened, but she wasn't surprised. "Please tell me you didn't kill him."

"We didn't." Gajeel answered. "At least, I don't think we did."

"Oh no…" Levy went back to moping.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her and forced her to walk alongside Gajeel. She stumbled quite a bit, and almost tripped but caught her balance once she heard Gajeel's voice. "Quit your moping." He stated, still walking straight forward. "If a guy like him can't see past looks, then he doesn't deserve to see at all." Not even Gajeel himself knew what he was saying, did that even make sense? "What I mean is, looks aren't everything." That just sounded cheesy, it made him feel like an idiot. Okay, this was the last time. "If someone needs something figured out, they need to ask you." She looked up at him, questioning where this was going with her eyes. "But if someone makes you sad, then they need to answer to me." That was it, that was what he wanted to say. Third time's a charm, and in this case, it did the trick.

Levy smiled, a _real _smile. She giggled, "Thanks." It made her feel a lot better, even if his words were a little bit confusing.

The Exceed next to them smiled too, finally things were getting somewhere.

The sun was beginning to set, the sky turning a bright orange. It seemed like they were cooped up in that mansion for weeks, but the time had finally come to go home. Home- where the people aren't snotty, conceited, or treat you like dirt. Home was where they wanted to be, it was where they needed to be.

* * *

At the train station, Gajeel had mysteriously vanished. One moment they were all walking, talking and having laughs, and the next, the tall Dragon Slayer was missing.

"Where is Gajeel?" Levy wondered out loud, their train would leave at any moment.

"How could we lose someone as big as him?!" Lily asked as well, even he didn't know where Gajeel was. They both hoped it wasn't because he didn't want to ride the train.

"What're you two looking for?" Said a gruff voice. Gajeel yelled out of the train's window, looking out at them. "If you don't hurry, you'll miss the train, then we'll have to stay the night in this town."

That was enough motivation for those two. They quickly climbed onto the train, this town was a little too much for them. Right now there were more pressing matters, like where Gajeel has been this whole time.

Levy took a seat next to Gajeel, looking his way. "So where were y-"

Gajeel held something in front of her face. It was a shiny silver, and thick, it didn't take long for Levy to realize he was holding a book. She took it from him and held it in her hands for herself, it had a soft fabric on the cover. Levy was about to ask again when Gajeel said, "Don't ask." He turned away from her, their eye's not meeting.

Levy noticed his ears growing a little red, and smiled. "Thank you."

_It wasn't easy, _Gajeel thought.

* * *

After the incident with Nise, Gajeel wasn't completely sure Levy was fine. The only thing that would cheer her up was something she liked: a book. The town had everything, stores, markets, restaurants, museums, but no book shops. Gajeel had spent around an hour looking around the shiny town, but no luck. He finally had the nerve to ask someone, an old, tiring man with a long gray beard. The guy had a book in his hands, so maybe he knew where to get one?

"Hey gramps," Gajeel asked, "Do ya know where I can buy a book around here?"

The old man shook as he looked up at Gajeel. His eyes squinted to see better, then the man laughed. "Ohoho, you won't find any book shops here, sonny." The man stretched his arms out wide. "You see, this city is known for it's money, not for it's smarts. Books are nothing but collector items here, something to make the people seem like they have some kind of education."

In response, Gajeel grunted, and began to turn away. That explained why all the books Nise owned seemed new and dusty.

"But," the old man said, "I do have a book I'm willing to get rid of." His arm with the book reach towards Gajeel. The man smiled and rasped out, "It's a special book," he filled through the pages quickly, "It holds great adventures from long ago." Gajeel must've had a bewildered look on his face, because the old man said, "You see, I'm becoming a very old and fragile man, I have no strength to carry this around. My eyes aren't what they used to be, so I wouldn't be able to read it anyways."

The book was taken into Gajeel's care, carefully cradling the book as if it were alive. "Thanks old guy." It wasn't the most thought out thanks you, but he meant it. Just because Gajeel didn't look nice, didn't mean he didn't know what fair trade was. "Here," he handed the man the pouch of money. "It's all I have at the moment but-"

The man raised his hand to interrupt. "This is more than enough." He smiled, happy that there was someone who visited the town who he could I trust someone with his book. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem like the one to read books," right on the dot, "But I'm sure whoever this book will belong to next is _very _special." The man waved goodbye and walked away, leaving Gajeel with the book.

"Yeah, I guess she is." Gajeel whispered, so only he could hear it.

That's when he headed back to the train station, hoping the two looking for him weren't too upset.

* * *

Levy opened the book, reading the contents. "Wow, this seems really good!" She flipped through the pass quickly, reading every word. Her eyelids soon grew heavy, but she shook her head slightly, not wanting to fall asleep.

Lily watched silently, he knew exactly where this was going. Eyeing the girl he asked, "So Levy," her eyes didn't move from the page but she raised an eyebrow in response. "What did the text say?"

"It read, 'Love is what the heart feels, not what the eyes see'." She smiled. "The Kashikoi really were one of the wisest civilizations known, and to think there's people like Nise makes me sick. Oh well."

This was Gajeel's chance, even he couldn't pass it up. "Hey," he didn't glance at her, his face far too red. "I just wanna say-" he felt something on his arm, he looked to see Levy leaning on him, her eyes closed.

She was breathing softly, he book still clutched in her hands. Her shoulders lifted and fell, with a small grin on her face. "Gajeel," she whispered, "Thank you for helping me, and making me feel better."

As much as Gajeel wanted to move, he didn't for her sake. Lily just chuckled, what a crazy day this was, she deserved the rest. Seeing Gajeel with a puzzled expression on what to do was enough of punishment for not telling her how he felt. Even if today wasn't the day to confess, the time would come soon enough. That is, if Gajeel didn't chicken out.

"Think you can handle what's gonna happen?" Lily questioned Gajeel, who looked up at him.

"What're you talking about? I can handle anything!"

The train soon shook itself, getting ready for departure. The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened, realizing what kind of predicament he was it. Not only did he have to stay still, but now he had to suffer his motion sickness as well. He felt his stomach start twisting as the train took off, a shade of green covered his face. If suffering this torture meant Levy would stay by his side, then he didn't care.

* * *

**FUN FACT: Nisemono is Japanese for "Fake" and Takara is Japanese for "Treasure"! So Nise's name translated is: Fake Treasure. The town's name "Okane" is actually Japanese for, "Money". The street on which Nisemono lives on called, "Kyogi", is also Japanese for, "Untrue." Lastly, the tribe named, "Kashikoi", is Japanese for, "Wise". **

**That's the end for chapter five! Thanks for reading! So, PLEASE tell me what you thought of how Levy, Gajeel, and Lily handled the job. What'd you think of their time in Okane? What do you think is in store for them when they get back home? What were your favorite parts? It really helps me a lot when I read the reviews to see what I'm doing right. I wasn't too sure on how I was going to pull this off, but I actually think I did well! Remember to FAVORITE, FOLLOW, and REVIEW for more! (This story now has over 3,000 views! Wow, thank you all!) See ya in a few days, thanks again!**

**-Ninja**


	6. Chapter 6

The three arrived in Magnolia in the middle of the night. The sky was dark, no stars dared to shine, not even the moon was brave enough. The train station was the creepiest thing ever at in the dark. Nobody like moving around at night, it was time for sleep, not travel. There was no people, no animals, nothing but silence. This gave even the Dragon Slayer an ominous feeling.

When the train stopped, his motion sickness gave a sudden halt. Gajeel felt like jumping up and running to stretch his legs, but ceased the thought when he remembered Levy next to him. She had slept most of the way, never letting the book go. There were times when she stirred, and shifted a little. At the end of their journey, Levy's legs were curled up on the seat with her. Her head was still rested firmly on Gajeel's arm. He didn't want to disturb her, wishing that they could stay like this for a while longer. Corny right? Well when you experience something like this with the one you cherish most of all, that's how it felt.

Even Lily had found himself falling asleep after some time. It was bound to happen, no one was able to keep him awake. With Levy asleep, he couldn't discuss any important topics, same goes for Gajeel's motion sickness. It made it very difficult to talk when trying not to hurl or pass out. However, Lily was a light sleeper; you never know when an attack could come in the middle of the night. When the train jolted, Lily sat straight up, his eyes wide open. He gazed at the sight of Gajeel watching Levy sleeping soundly. Not making a comment about it was the hardest thing ever, but he didn't want to disturb them. However, he couldn't stay back when Gajeel was about to stand up and wake Levy.

"She tried her hardest not to wake you up when you were on her lap." Lily said softly, making Gajeel look up with doubt. "So I suggest you try with the same effort she did." How could he be so stupid as to wake a sleeping girl? Then again this is _Gajeel _we're talking about, so it didn't surprise Lily too much.

Gajeel seemed irritated, Lily was always telling him stuff like this. Okay, maybe Gajeel would've woken her up, so what? Then again, waking up means going home, and that means going separate ways. Deep down, he knew this wasn't over. "Fine, whatever,." He snarled back. In one swift motion, he was carrying Levy piggy-back style, her head on his shoulder blade. Fearing she would drop the book, Lily ended up holding it.

* * *

They soon all left the train, stepping onto the dirt road. The gravel underneath their feet made soft crunching sounds, that seemed to drown out Levy's breathing.

Lily felt the need to say something about the situation. Not to make Gajeel mad, but to just get him to use his words. "I think today went rather well."

A scoff escaped Gajeel's mouth. "Ya think? I'd say it would've been better if it hadn't been for that ass wipe." He was referring to Nise, anyone could point this out.

"Oh yeah?" Lily responded. "As much as that's true, he did allow you to get closer to Levy."

"I don't care what he '_allowed' _me to do." Gajeel's eyes narrowed viciously. "He made her sad, that's all he has to do to cross me."

Lily chuckled. "I never would've took you for the kind of person who cares for another's feelings." He had Gajeel trapped in a corner, now was the time to hear his confession.

"W-well," Gajeel stuttered, knowing there was no escape. If there was one thing Gajeel was good at, it was dodging the truth. "If she began to cry, it would've put me on the spot."

That answer cued sigh of defeat from Lily. There was absolutely no way Gajeel would answer up front.

"She didn't deserve that," The Dragon Slayer continued, "What she did was amazing, and if someone like that asshole couldn't realize that, then he deserved what I did to him." His teeth started showing, now he was mad. Just the thought of Nise made his blood boil. He was about to rant more when a yawn escaped Levy.

Unconsciously, her arms wrapped around Gajeel's neck, pulling him closer.

The exceed didn't even realize it had happened until Gajeel stopped in his tracks. Lily looked at Gajeel's face, it was a deep red, and glowing with confusion. His back was stiff straight up and his feet were together. Lily started laughing, seeing Gajeel so nervous. Boy, if he was like this when her arms were around him, just think what a kiss would do!

"Don't drop her." Lily teased, his hands up defensively.

Gajeel took offense to that statement. "Hey, I'm not _that _careless." He might've been cold, dense, and arrogant, but even he had common sense.

Even if Gajeel was talking, his body wouldn't move. His legs were still stiff and his face was glowing.

The sudden stop in movements made Levy stir. Her arms released Gajeel's neck and traveled to her face. She began to rub her eyes with her fists gently. It was a while before her eyes got used to her dark surroundings. There were dark circles under her eyes that seemed to fade away. When her eyes finally adjusted, she opened them. She seemed to be leaning on something, and her legs weren't touching the ground. Her head moved around, wondering where she was.

"Huh?" She rubbed her eyes once more. "Where…" Her voice began to trail off before she looked down to see the gravel road. Then a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Sleep well?" Lily asked. He smirked, wondering what her reaction was going to be when she found out where she was.

Levy's back straightened out, her shoulders back, and head turning side to side. Her eyes then fell to Gajeel, who had turned his head to catch a glimpse of her. She felt her face get red as she realized he was carrying her. "Did I fall asleep?" It was a stupid question, and even she knew it.

Gajeel continued walking, feeling a bit relaxed. "Yeah," he replied, "You should've heard the way you were snoring!" He chuckled.

"I-I do _not _snore!" She puffed her cheeks with the response she gave. Her eyebrows scrunched up, showing her upset feeling. She put her hands on Gajeel's shoulders. "I was just so tired from all that researching." Levy was especially emotionally exhausted, having the confidence of the job thrown into her face by Nise. "So when you gave me that book-" Her eyes widened with the thought. She started to panic, "The book!" She said loudly. It began to be something that had meaning to her, and she was careless and lost it.

Lily's wings spread wide as he flew up to her eye level. He extended his arms, which contained the book Gajeel had found. "Looking for this?"

"Thank you!" Levy squealed, taking the book. She held it tightly against her chest, and smiled warmly. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost it."

Those were the words Gajeel was hoping to hear, but never thought he would. "You really like that heap of paper don't ya?"

Her head began to rest on the soft cover of the book. It was true, she began getting attached to it, but for the reason you wouldn't expect. "Well, yes. After all, you were the one who gave it to me!" Her cheeks were a rosy color, but it was the truth. Even if Gajeel didn't think of others all the time, the fact that he had done this one deed meant something to her.

"Well, uh," Gajeel was at a lost for words. Of course, he wanted her to think that, but he didn't think she was actually going to _tell _him. "If you kept being sad then it would only mean that the pampered pig would've won. I was _not _going to let that happen."

Levy smiled sadly, so maybe he didn't do it for her after all.

Lily felt like sending Gajeel all the way to Edolas. How could he be this _stupid_?! Here it was, the perfect chance to open up to Levy, and it was blown. There was a sigh of annoyance from Lily, catching Gajeel's attention. The exceed shook his head, keeping his eyes darted on the Dragon Slayer.

That was all of a hint for Gajeel to notice that wasn't the best thing to say. A wave of uneasiness hit him as he tried to think of something better. "What I mean is." he pondered for a bit, "Seeing you sad gives me a weird feeling, so don't be."

It wasn't the most romantic line, but it made Levy feel a bit better.

She smiled and giggled. "Well, thanks again!"

Then a thought hit Levy like a sack of bricks, how did she get all the way out here from the train station? She was so comfortable that she didn't even realize that Gajeel had been carrying her! If she brought it up, he might put her down, but she really just wanted to stay like this for a while longer. Although, she didn't want to seem selfish. If anything, she didn't want to seem like dead weight. Even though she was chosen to be an S-class mage, she was sure that in everyone else's eyes, she was still weak.

"Gajeel," she spoke softly, "Um, you can put me down now."

She felt him tense up, did he really not notice as well? Just as Gajeel was considering to let her go, he had a better idea.

"Nope." He stated, and continued their walk.

Levy stared in shock, he just declined her. "What do you mean, 'nope'?" She mocked him, knowing how much he hated it.

"This is your punishment." He wasn't quite sure where he was going with this, but he couldn't back out now. "You shouldn't fall asleep in weird places, then expect to take control all of a sudden." Yup, this was going to be a disaster.

"Since when do you get to decide that?"

"Since I'm the one who's been carrying this heavy baggage ever since the train station." Getting into arguments with her reminded him that she always had a mean side. This brought a smirk to his face.

Levy scoffed. "I am _not _heavy!" She crossed her arms and huffed, Gajeel always had to be difficult! "You'll have to put me down eventually."

"Who says?"

"Says the Fairy Hill's sign." She smiled victoriously, as the sign came into view. This was as far as any male would dare pass, that is, unless they wanted to challenge Erza.

Gajeel grunted in defeat. No man ever set foot in Fairy Hills, and if someone did then they've never lived to tell the tale. With all the stuff that's been going on in one day, adding Erza's rage to the list was too much. Gajeel lifted Levy off of his shoulders and set her down softly.

"Thanks for coming on the job with me you two." Levy thanked , referring to both of her partners. She started to walk away, but stopped and turned back, "See you tomorrow!" And then she left, that big smile on her face like she always had.

Lily looked at Gajeel who had his attention on Levy until she was safely inside. "Don't look so glum." A smirk crept up on his face. "She said she'd see you tomorrow."

Gajeel glared at Lily. "Shut up!" They returned to their home as well.

* * *

Levy walked to the guild alone the next morning, wearing a short purple dress with black sleeves, black leggings, and a purple headband. In her hands she held the book that began to grow on her with every moment. She hadn't let the book out of her sight since the night before. In her eyes, it was something valuable, not just a book. The fact that Gajeel had given it to her had made it even more special.

When she entered the guild, a big force was pushed upon her. It squeezed her roughly, barely giving her room to breathe.

"LEVY!" Jet and Droy cried out as they both have Levy a hug.

"Guys..." She rasped out. "Can't... Breathe.. " The wind was knocked out of her so hastily that her face had turned a light blue.

Jet and Droy loosened their hold a bit, but didn't let go. They both had tears streaming down their faces, and had big frowns.

"You had us worried sick!" They wailed in sync.

"Worried?" Levy asked. "You two had asked Gajeel to go with me, that wasn't reassuring enough?" If they didn't want Gajeel to go with her, then they should've just told Levy the truth about not being able to go.

"G-Gajeel?" They both wondered together. Without Levy noticing, they glanced a to the bar area. Gajeel had his usual glaring eyes and deadly snarl, his hand was in the form of an iron mallet. They both knew he was trying to intimidate them, and it was working.

"Ah, right, I remember now!" Jet tried to cover up his nervousness, nudging Droy with his elbow.

Droy quickly got the hint and decided to play along. Today was not the day he wanted to die, so he pretended the whole incident with the broom closet didn't happen. "Yeah, and actually, we feel terrible about leaving you like that. We were thinking about going on a job to even it out." Taking Jet by the arm, they quickly left.

Deep down they knew trying to win Levy over was a long shot. So much had happened since she left to Tenrou Island, all that time they could never get back. It was tough knowing that the one you care for the most will won't be with you, but they cared enough to know that if she was happy, then they were happy.

* * *

Levy walked over to a table that was near the bar and sat down next to Lucy. Lucy, again, had sheets of paper in front of her, but with no words. The struggle appeared clear on her face, as her hand with a pen in it would twitch.

"Lu-chan…" Levy hated seeing her friend in such distress, if only there was something more she could do. "Maybe you should calm down for a bit, it's not like this is a school assignment." Her words didn't sound too confident, but she hoped it helped.

Lucy looked at Levy with a worried smile. "I'm sorry, Levy-chan, this is just kind of stressing me out." With a sight, Lucy put the pen down. Taking a break was probably the best thing for her right now. "Why don't you tell me about the job you went on yesterday."

Levy began with how Gajeel and Lily had accompanied her to the city of Okane, and how they had met Nise. Once Levy described the way Nise looked and acted when they were first acquainted, Lucy let out a chuckle.

"He sounds like quite the charmer!" However, when Lucy heard how Nise had treated her friend, she took the compliment back immediately. "What a jerk! I hope you taught him a lesson."

"Well, actually, I think Gajeel and Lily handled that for me." She let out a nervous giggle, trying to imagine what those two had done. "But afterwards, Gajeel gave me this book." She reached to her side, to show Lucy. Her hands only felt the wooden texture of the bench below her. Yet again, the book had gotten out of her sight. "Where'd it go?!"

"I don't understand what you see in these things."

Levy turned around to see Gajeel staring at the book intensely.

"Gajeel!" She squealed, rushing towards him. Her arms reached up, trying to grab it from him. "Give it back!" She got up on her toes, hoping it would make a difference.

Glancing down, Gajeel noticed her struggle, but paid no mind to it. He smirked, holding the book higher, out of her reach. "Nah," he replied plainly, "In fact, I might even take this back." He knew how much she liked it, taking it away may be a little too cruel.

Levy's mouth dropped wide open, she had grown attached to it, and now he was going to take it away. "No!" She whined, "That's not fair!" She began to tug on his shirt a little. "Please give it back!" Her height had a big effect, because she was nowhere near reaching the book.

"Gajeel." A stern voice called out.

The two stopped what they were doing and looked to the second floor. Their master, Makarov, was standing on the railing, looking down at them. He had his hands held behind on his back, and his eyes closed, showing his confidence. "If you have a moment?" With that said, he turned around and walked away.

Gajeel gave an unsure face, why would the master want to see him? Even Levy was confused at the moment, her arm still extended and on her toes. The book was lowered into her hands, which brought her back down into reality. Before she could say, "thank you," for returning the book, Gajeel turned around and started to leave.

Something just wasn't right, he turned back around and saw Levy's worried expression. It gave him an uneasy feeling, seeing her like that. He knew she was always putting others first, but this was nothing to worry about, at least, he hoped. It was his job to make sure she wasn't in trouble, not the other way around. He gave a small scowl, "Would ya quit it with that face? I'm sure it's nothing!" He huffed away, leaving Levy with a sense of reassurance.

* * *

As Gajeel made his way up to the second floor, he tried to calm himself down. Did this have something to do with Master Ivan? He had hoped not, that guy kind of gave him the creeps. There was definitely something going on with that guy, something that shouldn't be messed with, but needed to be stopped. Reaching the top, Makarov was sitting at a table, a mug in his hands, and his usual smile on his face.

"Ah Gajeel!" Makarov hollered, gesturing Gajeel over to the table. He offered a seat, to which Gajeel declined. "I want to talk to you, about a message I received this morning."

"A message?" Gajeel asked, not knowing anything this could possibly be related to.

"It was from some gentlemen by the name, 'Nisemono Takara'." He took a sip out of his mug, watching Gajeel's face go from confused to concerned. The smile he had, disappeared from his face.

"Wait, I can explain-" Gajeel started, but was quickly cut off when Makarov's hand raised for silence.

"You don't need to." Makarov stood up, his back facing Gajeel, "Nisemono told me everything, and I just have to say..."

This was it, he was getting exiled. Gajeel couldn't believe it, everything he's done, and this happens? He hung his head, staring at the floorboards beneath his feet, waiting for Master to speak the words he's been fearing.

"Great job." Turning around, Makarov gave that smile he hand on before. He let out a raspy laugh, "Hehehe, why do you look so shaken up?"

"But I thought…"

"Like I said, Nisemono explained everything." Gajeel looked up, his gaze meeting Makarov's. "Even the part about what he said to Levy, and you beating the snot out of him!" Walking over to the railing, he looked over his family.

"You mean to tell me that idiot told on himself?" Gajeel chuckled a little. That old guy was right, the people of that town weren't very smart. "So what'd you tell him?"

Not looking back Makarov replied, "I said that the next time he thinks about sending a request to Fairy Tail, and mistreating my children, that he better watch his back, because I'll be sending you again."

"I'm flattered, but there's no way I'm heading back there." Gajeel crept towards the railing as well, was that it? "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Sort of." The real reason was far more important. "I want to thank you. Not just for completing that task, but for standing up for Levy." Hearing her name made Gajeel listen more closely. "She means well, she's smart, persistent, reliable, and strong, both magically and mentally. The way she looks keeps others from realizing how strong she really is, and her self esteem goes way down."

When he said that, it reminded Gajeel of when she needed a partner for the S-Class exam. How she was already giving up, despite the fact that she was actually _chosen _for a reason.

Gajeel turned to leave, "Tch, whatever, it's not like I did it for her. I was tired of that bullshit nice guy act that piece of trash was giving." He left, leaving Makarov on the second floor by himself.

Makarov's smile grew wider. "I may be old, Gajeel, but I'm not stupid." Although, he only said it to himself.

* * *

Lucy was talking to Levy about people she's ruled out for her novel. So far, Lucy was sure she didn't want someone who was outgoing, charming, nerdy, or smart. That didn't leave many other people left.

They both gave defeated sighs, not sure what to do.

"It's been two days," Lucy reminded herself, "And I'm still stumped!"

Levy looked at Lucy, "Don't be so hard on yourself, writing a novel is tough." Her small depression ceased as she saw Gajeel walking towards them. "What'd the master want?"

He knew very well that he couldn't tell her anything, or she'd get the wrong idea. "Nothing." He lied, knowing she would see right through him. "So where's the flaming idiot and the stripper?"

"I'm not sure," Lucy answered, "They were here just a minute ago, but now they're-"

She was interrupted with the sound of the guild doors opening hastily. Gray was thrown into the guild, with a few scratches on his arms. He landed on a table, spilling drinks and food everywhere. "Hey you lava lamp, get in here and fight like the coward you are!" Gray yelled, the doors opening once again.

Natsu stepped inside the guild, a smirk on his face. "Oh yeah? You've got a lot of nerve calling me a coward!" He began swinging his arm in a circle like motion, warming up. "And its _fire _not _lava_, jeez, I thought you'd at least be able to tell the difference. Maybe you're brain is made of ice too!"

Cana stood up from the table, showing her hands to Gray. "Can you tell me what's wrong here?"

Gray just stood there, confused.

"I'll tell you what's wrong," she took her barrel from the floor, "MY DAMN ALCOHOL IS GONE!" She threw it at Gray, causing him to crash into even more tables.

It wasn't long before an all out brawl went out. There was never a such thing as a quiet day when you're in Fairy Tail. Fights like this just spread like wild fires, it only takes a few people to start it, then the whole guild is in on it. Sure, there were plenty of times that the fights could've ceased by the Master, but where's the fun in that? Especially when the furniture was involved. You name it, tables, chairs, even floorboards would be thrown. It usually didn't matter how big the fights got, because the guild would always be back to its usual self in a few days.

Lucy had tried to go and stop Natsu, it probably would've worked if Juvia wasn't cheering on Gray the whole time.

* * *

Levy stayed in her quiet little corner, she normally waited until things settled down before moving around. It's a good thing she had that book with her, because it seemed like this was going to go on for a while. Flipping the pages, her eyes read the first line, "_If anything, this was nothing but ordinary." _It made her giggle, reminding her of the guild.

"Watch it!" Someone hollered as a stool was hurdling over to Levy.

Her eyes shut tightly, and she put her hands up, waiting for impact, but it never came. When she opened them, she saw Gajeel. His hand was an iron mallet, and it busted the stool into a bunch of pieces.

"You're gonna get hurt if you stand there like an idiot." He said to her.

She didn't know if she was happy because he helped her, or mad because he called her an idiot. "Thanks, but I think I can save myself from a small stool." Her nervous smile showed her small lie. Of course, she _could've, _but she was too distracted. She could feel how he doubted her, so she explained. "Well maybe you should blame this book, it was so interesting I wasn't paying attention."

"Uh huh, yeah sure. Then why don't you prove it to me?" He smirked, giving her a challenge. Looking her in the eyes almost made him forget there was a brawl happening before their very eyes.

Since he was distracted, he didn't notice a barrel hurdling their way. As it made its way towards him, he was a second late and preparing himself. He braced before impact, but not before hearing Levy speak loudly.

"Solid Script: Blast!" The word blast shot forward from her hands, shooting the barrel. Just as before, it was busted into many pieces.

Gajeel was astonished, it was with such precision and aim, yet it completely avoided him.

Levy giggled. "You're gonna get hurt if you stand there like an idiot." She repeated the same line he did. "Well, who's the idiot now?"

"Tch, that was just luck."

"Just luck?"

"For all I know that wasn't even you who did that, I wasn't paying attention."

"Not paying attention?! Maybe I should've let that barrel hit you, it could've knocked some sense into that dense head of yours!" Levy yelled, her face getting a little red.

"Who're you calling dense? If you wanna fight then tell me right now, I won't hold back!" There was no way he was gonna let her call him a fool.

* * *

The two's arguing lasted as long as the fight did. If you listened closely, you'd see a pattern; Gajeel yelling an insult, Levy making a smart comeback, Gajeel making an insult about her height, Levy twisting his words around to make him feel stupid. They had finally stopped when they realized they were the only one's speaking loudly.

Then Lily had stepped in and broke them up before someone got hurt. He pulled Gajeel away, to settle him down, while Levy began to leave. She felt really exhausted, funny how yelling can do that to you. Before she did Lucy walked up to her.

"Hey Levy-chan, I think I finally found someone!" There was excitement and anxiousness in her voice.

"R-Really?" Levy wondered who it could be this time.

"Yeah, I did some talking, and I found someone else! Can you come back around ten again?" With the look she was giving, Levy couldn't say no.

Levy smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll be there!"

They both said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways. Lucy headed back into the guild, and Levy headed towards Fairy Hills, hoping to calm down before going back.

Levy wondered again, who _could _it be this time?

* * *

**Okay, I will now explain why there was such an unexpected hiatus… You see, there were birthdays, and shopping, and cleaning, and back to school stuff! I'm REALLY sorry it took a long time to update, but my schedule suddenly got PACKED! I hope you can forgive me… Anyways, what'd you think of this chapter. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure where I was going with all of this, but I think it turned out GREAT! What about you? Who do you think Levy's partner will be this time? Don't forget to FAVORITE, FOLLOW, and REVIEW! Well, I'll see ya soon (hopefully with no long hiatus). **

**-Ninja**


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